Lomami: 41 bales of mosquito nets destroyed in an ‘arson’ fire

Mwene-Ditu, January 8^th, 2026 (CPA).- Forty-one (41) bales of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) have been destroyed in a fire in the ‘Champ de tir’ neighbourhood of Mudingayi municipality, Kabinda, Lomami province, in the centre of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), CPA has learned on Thursday from administrative sources. « The fire has caused the total loss of 41 bales, equivalent to 2,085 mosquito nets. The fire was the result of acts of violence involving a group of students from the Institut Notre-Dame de Lomami, who allegedly broke into the residence of the Champ de tir neighbourhood chief, used as a storage site for mosquito nets, before setting it on fire, » has declared Joseph Kabobo, acting provincial health minister. He has explained that this situation has disrupted the campaign to count and distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets. « We strongly condemn this act of violence, which compromises a major public health intervention. The incident was reportedly motivated by a belief that a deceased student had revealed in a dream that he would be poisoned in this house. (…) », he has said. ‘All measures have been taken to ensure that the households concerned are not deprived of mosquito nets,’ he has reassured. The acting provincial health minister has chaired a provincial coordination meeting to assess the impact of the incident and discuss urgent measures. In December 2025, DRC Ministry in charge of Public Health has launched a large-scale campaign to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to combat malaria in DRC, with the support of key players such as the Global Fund, the NGO SANRU (Primary Health Care in Rural Areas) and the Financial Support and Management Unit (CAGF). This large-scale operation covered all 16 health zones in the province and aims to provide universal coverage to households, offering essential protection against this devastating disease. Malaria remains the leading cause of death among children under five and poses a major threat to pregnant women.