Mobile gold miners in eastern Congo complicate health workers' efforts to contain Ebola

IGA-BARRIÈRE, Congo (AP) — Isaac Batisa spends his days digging for gold at a mining site in eastern Congo, hoping to earn enough money to support his family.

He is among hundreds of people, many of them children, working at the artisanal gold mine in eastern Congo's Ituri province, where the country's fast-moving Ebola outbreak is concentrated.

For the 11-year-old Batisa, though, his immediate concern is not the disease which has killed more than 2,300 people among at least 5,000 cases. He just wants to return home with some earnings, sometimes as little as $2 a day.

“We don’t know about Ebola here,” he said.

As the outbreak spreads and kills people faster than any other outbreak of the disease in history, a major source of concern for monitoring efforts is miners constantly on the move and in hard-to-reach, unsafe territories.

The Associated Press gained rare access into one of Ituri's largest mines, in the locality of Iga-Barrière, where miners crowd into pits to dig for gold. Although there are no known reports of the outbreak reaching any of Congo's mining sites, officials say it's difficult to know the true situation in hard-to-reach areas. Most new cases and deaths are reported among groups not being monitored, they say.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or through contaminated objects and surfaces. However, measures in place to limit the spread, such as regular handwashing and social distancing, are not followed at the artisanal mining sites, where work to extract gold is done by workers using basic hand tools like shovels and pans. Many of the mines are illegal, with miners making efforts to evade local authorities.

The Bundibugyo virus causing the current outbreak in Congo is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, which is complicating the response, because there are no specific treatments or vaccines.

In parts of the east, including Ituri, artisanal gold mining draws a highly mobile workforce as miners travel across villages in search of gold and related work while small-scale traders travel between mining areas and population centers to trade the mineral.

But that constant movement is also making Ebola harder to contain, complicating efforts to find infected people and trace those who may have been exposed, said Mari Ndika, an Ebola response worker involved in disease monitoring.

“Artisanal miners may come into contact with several communities as they move from one place to another (which) can facilitate the transmission of the virus if a person is infected,” she said.

Health workers recently lost track of two miners who had been identified as Ebola contacts after they moved to another mining site, according to Anna Ndroy Kansime, a community worker who helps educate people about the disease.

“They left for a destination that, to this day, remains unknown,” said Kansime.

The danger is particularly acute because health authorities are already struggling to keep up with the virus. People can become infected in one place and travel elsewhere before monitoring teams know they have been exposed, potentially creating new chains of transmission that are difficult to trace.

Complicating the effort, there is no reliable system for registering mine workers and tracking their movements, Kansime said.

The minerals in eastern Congo, not only gold but also coltan, tin and tungsten, have been a source of decades-long conflict and of economic opportunities for its residents.

The 11-year-old Batisa said his parents and two of his brothers were killed in an attack by Congolese rebels. He now lives with his aunt together with five siblings, and said he was encouraged to work at the mine by his aunt, whom AP was unable to reach for comment.

More than 100 militant and other armed groups operate in eastern Congo, including the ADF and CODECO militia in Ituri. Fighting has displaced large numbers of people and deepened the poverty that drives families toward artisanal mining.

About 2 million people work in artisanal and small-scale mining across Congo, according to a 2024 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. There is no reliable recent estimate of how many are children like Batisa.

UNICEF estimates 15% of children ages 5 to 17 in Congo are engaged in child labor.

In Ituri province, where conflict has uprooted families and where jobs are scarce, the mines offer the possibility of cash, however dangerous the work.

At the Iga-Barrière site, the search for gold takes miners beneath the earth through shafts that can extend dozens of meters (yards) underground. Tunnels are dug largely by hand, often with little reinforcement. Above ground, others work in open pits, digging through and sorting earth in search of gold.

Children work alongside adults. Pregnant women can also be found in the open pits, sometimes late into their pregnancies, Kansime said.

Singoma Aimé, a 36-year-old miner, said they lack adequate protection in their work at the sites. “We especially need hand-washing facilities because everyone comes from home to work at the site," Aimé said.

The outbreak unfolding across six provinces in eastern Congo is already the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history and is on track to become history’s deadliest if it surpasses the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people.

Nearly 5,000 people have been infected by the disease in Congo, including 2,325 deaths, with Ituri accounting for nearly 90% of the cases. Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15.

Last week, the Mercy Corps aid group warned that Ebola cases have been reported along a major travel route about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Congo’s border with South Sudan, expressing concern over the outbreak’s “widening footprint.”

Its speed remains “extremely concerning” as it continues to outpace efforts to track and slow it, Trish Newport, emergency coordinator with humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, told AP on Monday.

“We see family members that come in who have had 15 people in their family die. We rapidly need to scale up to be able to prevent more deaths from happening, more families and communities from being impacted,” she said.

According to Ndika, the response worker, that includes educating miners about prevention and working with local authorities, mine managers and communities to identify and track suspected cases.

But challenges remain, including impassable roads, the presence of armed groups and the movement of people displaced by violence. It's also not easy to slow down the miners as they move around, Kansime said.

“For many families, gold is what pays for food,” she added.

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.

Isaac Batisa 11 years old, searches for gold at a mining site in Iga-Barrière, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

People search for gold at a mining site in Iga-Barrière, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

People search for gold at a mining site in Iga-Barrière, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

People search for gold at a mining site in Iga-Barrière, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Adults and children search for gold at a mining site in Iga-Barrière, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former congresswoman Mary Peltola advanced to November’s general election on Tuesday, setting the stage for what is expected to be a costly fight for a seat that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

Sullivan went on the attack against Peltola in the days leading to the primary, providing a possible preview of their coming matchup. He attempted to tie her to a progressive movement within the Democratic Party that has been ascendant throughout the primary season, claiming Peltola was aligned with Lower 48 “liberals.”

Peltola, who in 2022 became the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, tried to steer a centrist path but shook up her campaign hierarchy just days before the primary, ousting her campaign manager.

Sullivan and Peltola have raised by far the most money to date in the race and have the greatest name recognition across Alaska, making them the leading contenders in November.

In the race for the state’s lone U.S. House seat, Republican Rep. Nick Begich advanced to the general election along with independent Bill Hill.

The campaign featured over a dozen contenders in each of the top races — for Senate, U.S. House and governor. Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates appeared on the same ballot, and the four who receive the most votes qualify for the ranked vote general election. It was too early to call all candidates advancing in the top races under the top-four format.

Tuesday's ballot also included state legislative candidates and a ballot initiative that would reimpose campaign contribution limits in state and local elections.

The highest-profile candidates in a field of 16 were Sen. Sullivan, a two-term Republican, and Peltola.

The race, which is among a handful that could help determine control of the Senate, drew significant attention from outside groups, with Republican and Democratic campaign organizations identifying it as a top target. Peltola shook up her campaign leadership days before the primary, letting her campaign manager go and elevating a deputy to that role. In a statement, the campaign described the changes as “staffing updates as we transition into the general election.”

Sullivan, a veteran and ally of President Donald Trump, campaigned on supporting the military, opening more land for oil and gas extraction, and voting for Trump's signature tax and spending law.

Peltola leaned into the “fish, family, freedom” slogan that first got her elected in 2022, and criticized a political system she said is rigged by special interests and allows politicians to enrich themselves.

But it was a third candidate, a Republican also named Dan Sullivan, who garnered much of the attention.

Dan J. Sullivan won a legal fight to appear on the ballot despite claims by the senator and GOP allies that he was a sham candidate running at the behest of Democrats with the intent of causing confusion. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg, denied that and said frustration with the incumbent prompted him to run.

He appeared on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation — a decision that a state elections official said was intended to minimize possible confusion. Meanwhile the senator was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent. No other candidate seeking reelection had the “incumbent” label.

The drama involving the dueling Dan Sullivans caught the attention of Trump. In a social media post reiterating his support for the senator days before the primary, Trump called the other's candidacy an attempt to trick voters and urged his followers to vote for “SULLIVAN, DAN S.”

Dan J. Sullivan criticized the senator for embracing Trump's endorsement, calling the president “more interested in raising tariffs on our allies than in lowering the cost of groceries, housing and energy” and “more interested in punishing his enemies than bringing Americans together.”

The Senate race was a focal point for a number of voters.

Jeri Kissner said Congress must do more to push back against Trump.

“I’m so disappointed in our Congress to acquiesce to the president and his minions,” Kissner said. She favored Peltola because she did not like the other options.

Tom Dienst, who voted early and described himself as an “extremely staunch Reagan Republican,” said Trump needs allies to help carry out his agenda.

“When you look at all of the good Trump policies that will help the state, there’s just no doubt. We have to continue with Sullivan,” he said.

In the House race, the most prominent candidates were Begich, seeking a second term, and Hill, a fisherman and former educator from a small southwestern village.

Hill made affordability a key issue in his campaign. He said Alaskans are sick of paying high costs for healthcare, gas and groceries.

“Begich and his buddies think they can play by a different set of rules than we do,” he said after advancing Tuesday. “The Alaskans I know don’t think that’s right.”

Progressive Democrat Matt Schultz suspended his campaign last month but remained on the ballot. His campaign said Schultz would withdraw as a general election candidate if he makes the primary's top four. Schultz urged support for Hill.

Begich, who was endorsed by Trump, cast himself as hardworking and effective in his role. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared at a rally for Begich in a conservative part of the state this month, though the event was closed to news media.

The campaign for the state’s top executive office was an open race this year because Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy was barred by term limits from seeking a third consecutive stint.

Two Democrats advanced to the general election from a crowded, largely Republican field: former state lawmakers Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, who is Nick Begich's uncle. If either wins in November, he would become Alaska's first Democratic governor since Tony Knowles left office in 2002.

Republicans in the race included Bernadette Wilson, a businessperson and conservative activist; Click Bishop, a former state labor commissioner and lawmaker; Dave Bronson, former mayor of Anchorage; and Adam Crum and Treg Taylor, two former members of Dunleavy's Cabinet.

Former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, also was on the ballot.

Voters overwhelming approved the lone ballot measure in the primary, which asked them to reimpose campaign contribution limits, five years after a divided federal appeals court struck down a number of caps.

The measure imposes a $2,000 limit on how much individuals can give to candidates in state and local elections and a $5,000 cap on what they can give to political parties. It also limits spending by groups other than political parties and limits what individuals and groups can give to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who is seeking a third term, flashes a thumbs up after a passing motorist honked during a sign waving event at an intersection on primary election day in Anchorage, Alaska, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks at a get out the vote event held at farm in Palmer, Alaska, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

FILE - Alaska Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich walks down a corridor in the state Capitol before giving a speech to Alaska lawmakers, March 10, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

FILE - Alaska U.S. House candidate Bill Hill, an independent, speaks with people at a campaign fundraising event in Juneau, Alaska, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

FILE - Dan Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares his name with the incumbent seeking reelection, talks with a reporter, July 3, 2026, in Petersburg, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

FILE - Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FILE - Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, a Democrat, speaks during a campaign rally on May 14, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, file)