Dr Richard Lokundu, medical director at Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, said the absence of restrictions on movement was making contact tracing increasingly difficult.

"We are trying to contain the situation, but we have never imposed restrictions on people's movement," Lokundu said. "These constant movements of the population make the response extremely difficult."

He called for greater public awareness, urging people who have been in contact with confirmed cases to remain in place rather than travel to other communities.

For miners, however, staying away from gold sites can mean losing vital income. Miner Laringa Phanel said hand-washing stations had become part of daily life, with workers washing their hands before working and eating.

Taxi driver Blaise Musa said some residents initially attributed deaths to "mystical causes," but attitudes changed after medical teams arrived and began conducting blood tests.

The Bundibugyo virus outbreak was confirmed in May and spread from Mongbwalu across six provinces in eastern DR Congo. Containment efforts have been particularly difficult in Ituri and neighbouring areas, where armed violence , displacement, a fragile health system and movement along mining and commercial routes have complicated contact tracing.

According to recent data confirmed by the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, a surprising number of nations, particularly in Africa, have overwhelmingly renewable electricity grids.

Here are the top 10 countries with the highest share of renewable electricity production:

What these numbers show is that countries often overlooked in global energy conversations are, in fact, global leaders when it comes to renewable reliance. Much of this dominance comes from hydropower, supported in some cases by biomass and smaller-scale solar and wind systems.

In places like DR Congo and Ethiopia, vast river systems provide clean electricity, while in Kenya and Tanzania, investments in geothermal and hydropower have transformed their national energy profiles.

The 2025 Statistical Review of World Energy highlights the significance of these shifts in a broader global context. Worldwide, energy demand rose by around 2% in 2024, but electricity demand grew even faster at nearly 4%, creating pressure to expand capacity quickly.

For the first time, low-carbon electricity sources (renewables plus nuclear) accounted for more than 40% of global electricity production, thanks largely to record additions of solar and wind. Yet fossil fuels continue to rise in absolute terms, showing the world is still in a difficult transition phase.

Africa’s dominance in renewable share is not just about resources, but also about constraints. Many of these nations lack the infrastructure to rely heavily on coal, oil, or gas. Electricity demand is relatively low compared to industrialised economies, which means that even modest renewable installations can supply the majority of power.

At the same time, dependence on hydropower makes these systems vulnerable to drought and climate variability, raising questions about resilience and reliability.

Globally, the conversation around renewables is moving beyond capacity building to issues of finance, policy, and grid integration. Recent news reflects a major pact cut public funding for fossil fuels by as much as 78% in 2024, while clean energy investments in 2025 are projected to reach $2.2 trillion, nearly double fossil fuel financing.