Opposition leaders say the restrictions are aimed at stopping an anti-government protest planned for next week.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Running Africa) — The Democratic Republic of the Congo has banned mass gatherings in Kinshasa and three neighboring provinces as authorities intensify efforts to prevent the country’s latest Ebola outbreak from spreading beyond the affected eastern regions.

Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced on Monday that the restrictions will apply in Kinshasa, Tshopo, Haut-Uele, and Bas-Uele. The provinces border the Ebola-affected areas of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, where confirmed cases continue to be reported. Health authorities say Ituri accounts for more than 90% of all recorded infections in the current outbreak.

Although no Ebola cases have been confirmed in Kinshasa — a city of nearly 18 million people — the government has introduced precautionary measures, including a mandatory 21-day quarantine for travelers arriving from affected areas, to prevent the virus from reaching the capital.

The latest measures come as Congolese health officials work to contain one of Africa’s deadliest infectious diseases, with surveillance, contact tracing, and movement controls being strengthened in high-risk regions.

However, the ban has sparked political controversy ahead of a planned opposition protest on July 8 against proposed constitutional reforms.

Opposition parties have accused the government of using public health measures to suppress political demonstrations. Lamuka spokesperson Prince Epenge and Envol Secretary General Rodrigue Ramazani have rejected the restrictions, urging supporters to proceed with the planned protest and describing the ban as politically motivated.

The government maintains that the restrictions are necessary to limit the risk of Ebola transmission and protect public health as containment efforts continue.