By RFIPalled on 22-07-2019Modified the 23-07-2019 at 01:00

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the Ebola outbreak became a global emergency, the health minister resigned. In a letter addressed to the head of state, Dr. Oly Ilunga challenged the resumption of control of the Ebola outbreak by the presidency, which entrusted its coordination neither to the Ministry of Health but to the boss of the country. the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe.

Dr. Oly Ilunga returns to the history of the dispute with the presidency. Since February, Felix Tshisekedi has repeatedly tried to regain control of the anti-Ebola device . The Minister of Health, from the outgoing regime, talks about a decree signed without his knowledge, the importance of maintaining " clearly identified lines of command " as well as the risk of " harmful confusion and cacophony " to the response .

Specifically, Dr. Ilunga accuses the expert committee set up by the presidency of taking " initiatives that have caused interference in the conduct of the response ". According to his entourage, it is notably his rival, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, that Dr. Ilunga aims by this comment. He accuses him of having supported, without his authorization, the launching of tests on a new vaccine whose effectiveness would not have proved.

Dr. Ilunga also warns the President of the Republic against launching a new experiment on a second vaccine.

Following the decision of the @Presidence_RDC to manage at its level the epidemic of # Ebola, I submitted my resignation as Minister of Health on Monday. It was an honor to be able to put my expertise at the service of our Nation during these two important years of our History. pic.twitter.com/qEDAPkxR0B

Dr. Oly Ilunga (@OlyIlunga) July 22, 2019

Response from the Presidency and the experts questioned

By regaining control over the fight against the Ebola virus, the presidency hopes to give a new impetus to the response and to better coordinate with the World Health Organization (WHO ) and other foreign actors.

Hollow, it is of course the policy led by the Minister of Health who resigned is questioned. The latter is accused of " not having been able to make the presence of the State felt " in the field. It is also the opinion of Professor Muyembe who says he finds " abnormal " that the epidemic lasts as long.

Just appointed by Felix Tshisekedi at the head of the response, the boss of the INRB ensures that his goal will be to put the DRC at the helm of the fight against the Ebola virus, with the support of foreign organizations, and not the reverse.

On the case of the new vaccine, the head of the National Institute for Biomedical Research defends himself by explaining that this was a " simple proposal " of his Institute to deal with a possible shortage of the vaccine used in the current time.

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