Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 689, death toll reaches 139

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 689, including 139 deaths, according to the latest situation report released on Friday by the country’s health authorities.

A total of 17 new confirmed cases, including five deaths, were reported on Thursday, all in the eastern province of Ituri, the report said. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected 29 health zones across three eastern provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

A total of 168 suspected cases, including 64 deaths, had been reported as of Thursday.

The report also highlighted several operational challenges, including reluctance to undergo post-mortem swabbing, insufficient capacity in Ebola treatment centers, shortages of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting across the three provinces, and a funding gap of 21.5 million U.S. dollars.

Two Ebola-related deaths have been reported in a camp for internally displaced people in Ituri, according to a report released on Thursday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The current outbreak, officially declared on May 15 by the DRC’s health ministry, is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a peace deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen immediately afterward.

“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is open to all,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump also claimed that Iran now “no longer wants a nuclear weapon” and suggested the United States will work with Iran to remove enriched uranium at an “appropriate time.”

He said the signing of the deal would make U.S. relations with Iran “different and better,” but warned that “we have the ultimate alternative” unless the process moves forward “quickly, easily and smoothly.”

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar also said Saturday that an electronic signing ceremony of the U.S.-Iran deal is scheduled for Sunday, after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier on the day that the United States and Iran had agreed on a peace deal framework and were expected to sign it shortly. Pakistan has been mediating the U.S.-Iran peace negotiations.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqhaei reportedly denied that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States to end the conflict would be signed on Sunday, citing what he described as “the other side’s hesitation.”

Baqhaei also stressed that any potential MoU between Iran and the United States “would merely serve as a framework for continuing talks” and should not be regarded as “a final agreement.”

He added that discussions on the nuclear issue are expected to continue over a 60-day period, according to Iranian state media reports.