Tuberculosis kills Congolese expelled from Angola

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 15 people among the hundreds of thousands of Congolese expelled from Angola died of tuberculosis. “All of these deaths are due to undernutrition and diseases, mainly tuberculosis,” says Kamako hospital head Dr. Miko Mikobi.

This doctor says he has already received “318 patients, among the expelled, most of whom suffer from tuberculosis”. Local officials fear a rapid spread of the disease due to precarious hygiene conditions. These concerns echo those voiced by the UN, which says it fears a humanitarian crisis in the Kasai region.

These expelled Congolese are crammed into difficult conditions in Kamako, the first Congolese town near the border with Angola. Angolan authorities say about 380,000 illegal migrants have been expelled since the beginning of this month. This wave of expulsions is part of an operation to fight against illegal immigration.