France plans to increase funding for Ebola fight in Congo

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, during a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Saturday, said his country would increase its support for efforts to eradicate the Ebola virus in the African nation.

Barrot made a rare visit to Bunia, a city in northeastern Congo, where a laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox was detected in mid-September.

Barrot said he would propose additional humanitarian funding to combat the virus during upcoming discussions on the French budget.

He praised the efforts of the Congolese authorities, United Nations organizations, humanitarian groups, and medical workers in containing the outbreak and preventing its spread to major urban centers in Congo and beyond.

In response to a question about the possibility of the outbreak spreading after a case was reported in France, he said, “There is no need for fear or anxiety. Above all, we must fight the outbreak wherever it appears.”