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BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Wiza Bondele goes to work every day at a hospital in Congo with one goal in mind: to slow the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. At an Ebola treatment hospital in the eastern Ituri province, the epicenter of Congo’s ongoing outbreak, Bondele disinfects contaminated areas, checks visitors’ temperatures and enforces handwashing protocols — work that puts him at risk of getting infected. But like hundreds of other front-line health workers, including burial teams and drivers, Bondele says he has been working without pay since the outbreak was declared in mid-May in one of Congo’s most remote and conflict-hit regions. Poor welfare for front-line workers has been a key source of concern in the outbreak. The payment issues and attacks on health teams and facilities have forced some health workers to walk off the job, disrupting critical care in the outbreak that authorities say continues to spread at an alarming rate and faster than efforts to track it. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials, a risk Bondele is well aware of. “Sometimes patients are bleeding or vomiting blood. We clean and disinfect those places,” the 29-year-old infection control worker told The Associated Press while on duty. “With risks like that, we deserve salaries.” Confirmed cases in the outbreak have exceeded 4,000, including over 1,800 deaths, according to the latest government data. It is the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 cases, including over 11,000 deaths. Another from 2018-2020 killed at least 2,200. This outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. A veteran of Congo’s 2018 Ebola response, Bondele returned when the virus resurfaced, believing his experience could help protect his community in Ituri, which accounts for nearly 90% of the Ebola cases. Instead, he found himself among many workers who have continued reporting for duty without receiving the monthly salary of $510 that Bondele said they were promised. Officials have told them that the outstanding payments will be made, he said. Workers have registered their numbers to get paid through mobile money transactions, signed attendance sheets and waited for payment notifications, but only some were eventually paid. Bondele said even colleagues who were paid have told him they have not received the full amount. Congolese authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Officials in the past have blamed logistical issues for the payment delays. Without his salary, paying rent, buying food, phone credit, covering transport costs and paying water bills have all become daily struggles. He also supports his wife, child and other relatives, responsibilities he says have become increasingly difficult to meet. One morning, the hardship became painfully visible. Setting off for work on his motorcycle, Bondele said he ran out of fuel along the way. With no money to refill the tank, he left the bike with neighbors and walked the remaining 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the hospital. By the time he arrived, he said his shoes had fallen apart. Despite the unpaid wages and hardship, Bondele and hundreds of workers continue to show up to the hospital seven days a week. He said his work is too important to abandon. “I hope their conscience tells them that I deserve to be paid,” Bondele said, referring to officials. Bondele was among hundreds of Ebola response workers in Bunia who staged strikes and protests over unpaid wages in recent weeks, at times abandoning health facilities and disrupting parts of the response as the outbreak continued to spread. “We realized they (the authorities) weren’t doing anything, and that’s when we went on strike,” he said. They warned that unpaid wages were undermining morale and affecting patient care. In a statement, staff at one treatment center said they would remain on strike until “concrete solutions” were found to resolve months of unpaid wages and bonuses. Dr. Adelard Lufungula, operations manager for the government’s Ebola response, said last month that the payment problem was being resolved, with workers now paid through mobile money instead of cash and the backlog expected to be cleared soon. For Bondele, the explanations have done little to ease the uncertainty. “I wonder whether it is injustice or whether there simply isn’t enough money,” he said. The strikes come as the Ebola response is already battling armed conflict, widespread misinformation and deep public mistrust, all of which have made it harder for health workers to contain the outbreak. “It is very difficult to get people to understand,” Bondele said. “Sometimes while raising awareness I can be threatened or beaten, and I have to run away.” Some communities continue resisting basic prevention measures such as regular handwashing, he said. Restrictions on traditional burials, where families are prevented from touching the highly contagious bodies of loved ones, have fueled resentment in some communities. Rumors claim that the virus is a hoax, that health workers are profiting from the outbreak or that hospitals are withholding lifesaving treatments. The misinformation has repeatedly turned violent. Angry crowds have torched Ebola treatment centers, stormed hospitals to retrieve relatives’ bodies and attacked teams carrying out safe burials. Health officials say the mistrust has also made contact tracing and early treatment more difficult, particularly in remote communities affected by rebel violence. As visitors line up for temperature checks and disinfectant is sprayed to keep the virus at bay, Bondele continues the work he says he joined out of passion. “Working this job takes a lot of courage,” he said. “But today, I am discouraged.” ___ Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. ___ For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

KIMANA, Kenya (AP) — The carcass of one elephant lies on a dusty road, while another has been almost completely eaten by scavengers, leaving just the skull. They are among 15 elephants that died of suspected cyanide poisoning in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park after eating tomatoes in nearby farms. Investigations are ongoing into how cyanide found its way to an ecosystem where wild and domestic animals coexist and farms grow tomatoes and onions, but growers are disputing claims that cyanide from their tomatoes killed the elephants. The elephant deaths and disputes about the cause have intensified concerns over growing human-wildlife conflict in the region due to expanding agricultural activities near Amboseli park. Kenya has until recently been widely recognized for rebuilding its elephant population from historic lows to more than 36,000 individuals by reducing poaching and protecting elephants. Elvis Muchai has farmed on the edge of Amboseli for two decades. In all that time, he said, he has never heard of farmers poisoning wildlife. That is why he was skeptical of reports last month that the 15 elephants had died from suspected cyanide poisoning after consuming tomatoes believed to have been contaminated with the chemical. Muchai, who farms tomatoes in Kimana area, said local communities have long coexisted with elephants despite suffering repeated crop losses when the animals cross the park’s electric fence and raid farms, particularly during the dry season. “We are used to the animals eating from our farms,” he said. Last month, the Kenya Wildlife Service announced that 15 elephants had died in the Amboseli ecosystem in a span of a month. Preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide, while postmortem examinations found tomatoes in the animals’ stomachs. The head of veterinary services at Kenya’s wildlife agency, Dr. Isaac Lekolool, said the elephants had shown signs of “paralysis and difficulty breathing” before they died. Initial tests pointed to cyanide poisoning, although further laboratory tests are being done to determine the concentration of cyanide. “We are yet to find out where this cyanide came from,” Lekolool said, adding that the elephants had also consumed watermelons. He urged caution over the handling and use of pesticides on farms. Kimana, which borders Amboseli, is one of Kenya’s most productive agricultural areas, growing tomatoes, onions and French beans that are transported to markets to the capital, Nairobi. The samples tested for toxic chemicals were obtained from the elephants’ stomach contents and the analysis of blood samples is ongoing, Dr. Lekolool said. He disputed earlier claims that cyanide, which is regulated by the government for use in mining, may have been present in the park due to illegal mining. Farms have expanded near the park and conflict between people and elephants remains the second leading cause of deaths after poaching, according to Kenya’s National Elephant Plan. Between 2000 and 2020, at least 1,160 elephants died in incidents linked to self-defense or retaliatory killings as communities sought to protect their crops, property and lives, the Plan notes. But Duncan Juma, communications director of Kenya’s wildlife service, ruled out human-wildlife conflict in the death of the elephants, saying “the community loves these animals.” The International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW, said the recent suspected cyanide poisoning highlights the urgent need to tackle the underlying causes of human-wildlife conflict. “As people and elephants increasingly share space, protecting wildlife and safeguarding communities’ livelihoods must go hand in hand,” IFAW wrote in a statement. IFAW’S East Africa Director Ben Wandago said the reported cyanide poisoning must be “urgently and thoroughly investigated” and recommended that coexistence solutions to protect communities living near the park be implemented. “This tragedy also underscores the urgent need for the strict control and responsible handling of highly toxic substances to prevent them from entering the natural environment,” he said. Farmers are doubtful that the cyanide could have originated from commonly used agricultural inputs. Muchai said he has never encountered cyanide among the pesticides or chemicals sold to farmers in the area and insisted that products available on the market are regulated by the Kenyan government. “The chemical they are talking about, we’ve never seen it or heard of it here,” he said. Last season alone, Muchai said elephants destroyed about half an acre of his tomato crop, costing him an estimated 500,000 Kenya shillings ($3,800). “We have lived with these animals for years. They eat our crops, and many of us have never received compensation,” he said. Another farmer, Rymondy Mrosso, also questioned whether pesticides used by local farmers could explain the deaths and wondered why only elephants appeared to have been affected. “We have goats, cows and other wildlife such as gazelles that also feed in these areas,” he said. “If the crops were poisoned, why were only the elephants affected?” ___ For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

July 31-Aug. 6, 2026 Hundreds of people were evacuated after Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted, sending ash, gas and lava down its slopes. A plane carrying European tourists to view the famed Nazca Lines crashed into a field outside the Peruvian city of Nazca, killing 13 people, local authorities said. Cuba marked the sixth islandwide blackout since the Trump administration effectively cut Cuba off from oil — its main energy source — in January. ___ This gallery was curated by photo editor Anita Baca based in Mexico City. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BANGKOK (AP) — Police were responding to a shooting Friday at a high school in Thailand where deaths and injuries were reported. ____ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BANGKOK (AP) — Police were responding to a shooting Friday at a high school outside Bangkok where deaths and injuries were reported. The shooting happened at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of the national capital, Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan told The Associated Press. The shooter was a student who remained inside the school and deaths and injuries were reported, Arsit Sampantharat, permanent secretary for the Interior Ministry, told news station PPTV. The officials did not say how many people were hurt or provide other details. Images from the scene showed people standing outside the school comforting one another. In February, a 17-year-old stole a gun from police and opened fire at a public high school in southern Thailand, briefly taking people hostage in a two-hour attack that killed one person and injured two others. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com