African and Indian authorities have postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit that was set for next week in New Delhi, citing growing concerns over the public health situation in parts of Africa, as Ebola outbreaks continue to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The decision was announced on Thursday by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which said the move was made after consultations with partners amid rising health risks linked to the ongoing outbreak.
In a joint statement, officials said the delay was agreed on in recognition of “the importance of ensuring the full participation and engagement of African leaders and stakeholders, and mindful of the emerging public health situation on the continent,”
The development comes as health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo struggle to contain a widening Ebola outbreak, which has now reached South Kivu province, an area partly under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, according to the group’s spokesman.
The spokesman said the first confirmed case in South Kivu was recorded in a rural area near Bukavu, a strategic city that fell under M23 control in February 2025. The case marks an expansion of an outbreak that experts believe may have circulated for about two months in Ituri province before being detected.
The World Health Organization has classified the outbreak as an international emergency, with officials warning that the spread is being worsened by insecurity in eastern Congo, where armed conflict has disrupted health response efforts.
So far, the outbreak is suspected to have caused 139 deaths, with about 600 suspected cases reported. Two infections have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, raising concern over cross-border transmission.
M23 has said it is ready to cooperate with international health partners to help contain the outbreak, although operations on the ground remain difficult due to ongoing conflict and population movement in densely populated areas.
The new case reported in South Kivu involved a “person coming from Kisangani”, a major city in eastern Tshopo province where no infections from the current outbreak have been recorded. According to the spokesman, “The person concerned, a compatriot aged 28, unfortunately succumbed to the disease before the diagnosis was confirmed,”
Congolese authorities have not yet issued a response to the reported case.
Health responders in the region say they are struggling with limited supplies, a situation some officials link to cuts in foreign aid by major international donors, including the United States, further complicating efforts to control the outbreak.