Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (April 21, 2020) Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: Confinement Order for Gombe, Kinshasa The government of Kinshasa will slowly relax the confinement order for the Gombe neighborhood of Kinshasa that was put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Beginning Wednesday, April 22, businesses in Gombe providing essential goods and services may re-open to allow for people to provision themselves. Residents of Gombe will be allowed to move around in their neighborhoods but not leave Gombe. Everyone must wear a mask while in public. Those... Continue reading

Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (April 5, 2020) Location: Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: 14-day Confinement Orders for Gombe, Kinshasa and Goma Starting April 6 KINSHASA: The government of Kinshasa has ordered that the Gombe neighborhood of Kinshasa be under a 14-day confinement from April 6 to April 20 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is possible the confinement order will be extended to other Kinshasa neighborhoods in the coming days or weeks. We advise all U.S. citizens in Kinshasa to depart on the U.S. Embassy-organized flight to Washington, D.C.... Continue reading

Health Alert - U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (April 2, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: Special Commercial Flight to Washington, D.C. April 9 The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa arranged a special commercial flight from Kinshasa to Washington, D.C. on April 9 for U.S. citizens and U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. Tickets will cost approximately $2,000 and must be purchased quickly. Ground transportation from residences/hotels will be provided as we expect Kinshasa to be under confinement orders. Travelers will be responsible for onward travel from Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) or stays in the Washington, D.C.... Continue reading

Health Alert U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 28, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: Kinshasa Confinement Restrictions Postponed; Caution Urged The City of Kinshasa has reportedly postponed the period of intermittent total confinement of all residents that was to start Saturday March 28. There are no known checkpoints and traffic appears to be circulating. Conditions and restrictions may change quickly and without much advance notice. All U.S. citizens are urged to prepare for long periods of confinement to their residences. Be aware that other parts of the country are considering similar measures and... Continue reading

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 25, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: DRC Presidential Decree of State of Emergency The government of the DRC has declared a State of Emergency effective March 24 to limit the spread of COVID-19. All domestic passenger flights between Kinshasa and the provinces are suspended. The suspension of international passenger flights remains in effect. All road and river transport between Kinshasa and the provinces are suspended for passenger traffic. Goods transport will continue with control checkpoints at Kinshasa city limits. DRC National Police and military... Continue reading

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 24, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: DRC Presidential Decree of State of Emergency The government of the DRC has declared a State of Emergency effective March 24 to limit the spread of COVID-19. All domestic passenger flights between Kinshasa and the provinces are suspended. The suspension of international passenger flights remains in effect. All road and river transport between Kinshasa and the provinces are suspended for passenger traffic. Goods transport will continue with control checkpoints at Kinshasa city limits. DRC National Police and military... Continue reading

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 23, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: U.S. Citizens Requesting Assistance to Depart the DRC The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa is considering all options to assist U.S. citizens in DRC. All international passenger flights are suspended until at least April 3. Domestic DRC flights are still going at this time but may be stopped with little or no advance notice. The U.S. Embassy is working to make seats available for U.S. citizens on a commercial flight from Kinshasa N’Djili airport to Washington Dulles Airport on... Continue reading

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kinshasa (March 21, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: The DRC Ministry of Health confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the DRC. The government of DRC has implemented measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. All international passenger flights are suspended until at least April 3. Domestic DRC flights are still going at this time but may be impacted with little or no advance notice. Schools and universities are closed until April 17, sporting events, festivals, gatherings larger than 20 people have been banned, and bars and restaurants are closed until further notice.... Continue reading

Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 19, 2020) Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Event: The DRC Ministry of Health confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the DRC. The government of the DRC has implemented measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. Schools and universities are closed until April 17, sporting events in stadiums and gyms are suspended, gatherings and celebrations larger than 20 people are banned, and bars and restaurants are closed until further notice. The government of the DRC has implemented enhanced screening and quarantine measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.... Continue reading

Last April, they met. And again today! Secretary Michael R. Pompeo’s Meeting with DRC President Tshisekedi 03/03/2020 12:02 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson The below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:‎ Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi today in Washington, DC. Secretary Pompeo and President Tshisekedi discussed strengthened ties between the United States and the DRC in the year since the country’s historic peaceful transfer of power. They pledged to work together to advance the U.S.-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity which launched after President Tshisekedi visited... Continue reading

Demonstration Alert - U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (07 February 2020) Location: Limete (a quarter of Kinshasa) Event: The U.S. Embassy has received several reports that members of Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) are protesting in Limete, in the vicinity of Boulevard Lumumba. The highest concentration of activity is occurring between 7e Rue and 12e Rue. Protestors are intentionally slowing traffic along Blvd Lumumba, throwing rocks at vehicles, burning tires in the road, and some attempts to set vehicles on fire have been reported. The U.S. Embassy is advising its personnel to avoid all travel... Continue reading

Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo Event: Heightened Middle East Tensions There is heightened tension in the Middle East that may result in security risks to U.S. citizens abroad. The Embassy will continue to review the security situation and will provide additional information as needed. Actions to Take: · Keep a low profile. · Be aware of your surroundings. · Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists · Review your personal security plans. · Have travel documents up to date and easily accessible. Assistance: U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: +243 81-556-0151/152 ACSKinshasa@state.gov https://cd.usembassy.gov/ State Department – Consular... Continue reading

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Impact of Ebola outbreak in Eastern DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with the world’s second largest Ebola epidemic on record, with more than 2000 lives lost and 3000 confirmed infections since the outbreak was declared in August 2018. The outbreak is occurring in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. At Mavuno we have lost 2 of our partners to Ebola in Mangina and Mangango. In Mangina we lost a member of the Grassroots Organization and in Mangango we lost a member who was also the secretary of the Grassroots Organization and principal of the... Continue reading

Location: Congo’s Nord-Kivu, Ituri, and Sud-Kivu Provinces Event: To control the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) authorities continue to establish health check points throughout the Nord-Kivu, Ituri, and Sud-Kivu Provinces, including in the cities of Goma, Beni, and Butembo and in Virunga National Park. New checkpoints may be created with little notice. You may encounter health checkpoints at the land border crossing connecting Goma, DRC to Gisenyi, Rwanda at the pedestrian (Petite Barrière) and vehicular (Grande Barrière) crossing points. These checks may slow border crossings. There are at least three health checkpoints in Virunga National Park set up by... Continue reading

Here's the alarming facts of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo. "It’s the rate of spread in northeastern Congo that is most alarming. Whereas the first 1,000 cases took 224 days to arrive, it took only another 71 days to reach the 2,000 mark." http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2019/08/01/year-congo-s-ebola-epidemic-and-no-end-sight The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows no sign of slowing, a year after the outbreak was declared, on 1 August 2018. To date there have been 2,593 cases and more than 1,700 confirmed deaths. It’s the rate of spread in northeastern Congo that is most alarming. Whereas the first 1,000 cases... Continue reading

The war against Ebola is ramping up. And Rwanda tries to protect itself by closing it's border. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/world/africa/ebola-congo-rwanda.html Rwanda closed its border with Congo on Thursday in response to the deadly Ebola outbreak, while the Congolese Health Ministry said the 1-year-old daughter of a man who had died of the disease in the border city of Goma had Ebola.The man was Goma’s second confirmed Ebola case, and he died on Wednesday after spending several days at home with his family while showing symptoms.The girl’s case would be the first known transmission of Ebola in this outbreak in Goma, a city... Continue reading

"A man who became the second confirmed Ebola case in the Congolese city of Goma has died, an official said on Wednesday. The city of more than two million people had its first confirmed case earlier this month, with the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history declared a rare global health emergency days after the first Goma case was announced." https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/world/africa/congo-officials-say-second-ebola-case-confirmed-in-city-of-goma.html Continue reading

"Imagine a firefighter battling a blaze while the sprinkler system emits gasoline. This is the current state of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)." Gayle E. Smith is former administrator of USAID and president and CEO of The ONE Campaign. https://time.com/5627405/ebola-congo-outbreak-goma-rwanda-border/ "So far, over 1,600 people have died from the virus and thousands more have been infected.While this outbreak is not yet at the scale of the last Ebola crisis that claimed more than 11,000 lives, it has the potential to be even deadlier. With each passing day, the virus keeps spreading. This week, the first... Continue reading

Safe drinking water in rural Congo is a major problem. Addressing the problem require overcoming multiple significant challenges. Drilling weeks is a long-term solution. Then piping the water home is a longer term goal. In the meantime, household water filtration and disinfection are a most. https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/water-crisis-2/ "As per a report... Continue reading

Manifesto I believe in God! I love God! And God is the eternal Father who is the father of all and therefore my father too because God is also my Savior, Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of the eternal Father, son in whom I believe and whose actions on our... Continue reading

I While in Congo last year, I missed being at my home church, Faith Presbyterian Church, for Christmas, and the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Today was Easter, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, and I was blessed to be at my home church. Christmas and Easter are two big Sundays in our church. It bring back memories of my Christmases and Easters as a child and as a parent. Here's our pastor during time with the children. We did a participatory story of the resurrection according to Matthew 28:1-10. #Easter #Resurrection #Church Continue reading

The Ebola outbreak keeps growing. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/congo-s-ebola-response-threatened-conspiracy-theories-rumors-n994156 People who have contracted Ebola are opting to die at home rather than seek treatment as conspiracy theories fuel distrust of the government and of health workers grappling with the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the workers and aid groups.Nearly 20 new cases of the deadly illness are being identified daily in two northeast provinces of the country. Both areas are opposition strongholds where political tensions run high. Continue reading

Reconsider travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do Not Travel To: North Kivu and Ituri provinces due to crime, Ebola, and kidnapping. Eastern DRC and the three Kasai provinces due to armed conflict. Violent crime, such as armed robbery, armed home invasion, and assault, while rare compared to petty crime, is not uncommon, and local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Be aware that assailants may pose as police or security agents. Many cities throughout the country... Continue reading

It's got to be stopped! https://www.statnews.com/2019/04/12/who-stops-short-of-declaring-ebola-crisis-a-global-health-emergency/ Continue reading