Despite a deadly Ebola outbreak centred on the mining town of Mongbwalu in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of artisanal gold miners continue to work, driven by economic necessity and a lack of alternative sources of income.
The country's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on 15 May after several unexplained deaths in Mongbwalu, located in the mineral-rich but unstable Ituri province. More than 250 people have died, and around 1,000 cases have been recorded nationwide, although the true scale of the outbreak remains difficult to determine.
Official figures show that 209 people have been infected in Mongbwalu, with 89 deaths recorded. Several miners were among the victims, according to Richard Lokudu, head of the local hospital.
For many workers, however, the risk of infection is outweighed by the need to provide for their families. “Ebola is real and it scares us. But if I stay at home, what are my children going to eat?” asked artisanal miner Justin Okaume.
Health authorities have urged residents to follow preventive measures, but miners say their working conditions make this difficult. “They talk to us about preventive measures but it’s hard to follow them because our work forces us to be in contact with each other,” another miner, Justin Uketi, said.
Across the vast open-pit mining sites, men and women spend long hours digging through mud, breaking rocks and extracting gold in harsh conditions. Many work side by side with little protection, while others travel from distant provinces or neighbouring countries, including Uganda, hoping to earn a few hundred dollars a week.
The movement of miners and traders has contributed to the spread of the virus, which is transmitted through close contact with infected people or bodily fluids. Yet many workers say they have little choice but to continue. Jeannette Akelo, a mother of seven who works at the site, said miners must keep working “to survive”.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Existing vaccines developed between 2018 and 2019 are effective only against the Zaire strain responsible for previous major outbreaks.
In recent weeks, Red Cross teams wearing protective equipment have regularly carried out safe burials in the surrounding hills to reduce the risk of transmission after death.
Mining activity nevertheless continues from dawn each day. Workers handle ore by hand and often use mercury to separate gold from extracted material. Once heated, the resulting metal is processed into raw gold for sale.
“We don’t know who is infected or not, and after work everyone goes home,” miner Jean-Baptiste Liwawi said. He added that he relies on ginger and traditional remedies in an attempt to avoid infection.
Health officials face additional challenges because some residents prefer traditional healers to medical facilities. Public mistrust remains widespread in a region that has endured years of violence by armed groups responsible for repeated attacks and massacres.
According to United Nations experts, most gold deposits in Ituri are controlled by community-based militias that generate significant revenue through taxes imposed on mining activities. A UN report published at the end of 2025 said much of the illegally mined gold is smuggled into neighbouring Uganda.
The mining sector also faces persistent dangers unrelated to Ebola. Landslides, suffocation in mine shafts, accidents and clashes between armed groups competing for control of resources regularly claim lives.
Despite those risks and the ongoing health emergency, business continues in Mongbwalu. In the town's trading centres, gold washers and traders continue to negotiate deals, with record-high global gold prices helping to sustain activity across the region.
