DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Africa's top public health agency and Congolese officials have raised concerns over $700 million in Ebola aid which is unaccounted for, and called on aid groups to provide more information about their finances.
This comes as the world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record continues to outpace efforts, and the virus has spread into eight provinces in Congo and into neighboring countries, Kenya and Uganda.
The revelations renew long-standing questions about transparency and accountability in Congo, a country battered by decades of major epidemics, including repeated Ebola outbreaks. In recent months, the AP reported extensively on strikes of frontline healthcare and support workers over unpaid salaries, bonuses and dangerous conditions in eastern Congo.
Previous Ebola outbreaks were marked by allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds, which experts said have contributed to the mistrust of local communities, complicating the efforts to halt the spread.
Here's what we know about the Ebola funding.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent's top public health agency, told reporters last week that since the beginning of the epidemic, $962 million from international donors has been disbursed to organizations working on Ebola response in eastern Congo.
But only $200 million has been accounted for by organizations working on the ground, which include U.N. agencies such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Food Program, and international charities like Save The Children and Medecins du Monde, as well as local aid groups.
Only one-third of the organizations attended a recent meeting organized by Congo's health ministry and provided their financial records, Kaseya said. Those attending organizations said they received $228 million, of which $127 million had been spent and around $100 million remained available.
Kaseya did not specify which organizations lagged behind.
“This represents a significant lack of transparency and financial reporting on the part of these organizations, preventing the Government from having a comprehensive overview of the resources mobilized, how they were utilized and the results achieved,” the Africa CDC said in a statement.
“It is unacceptable for organizations to receive hundreds of millions of dollars to intervene in a country facing a major health emergency without providing a transparent account to the national authorities responsible for coordinating the response.”
Kaseya said the agency would work closely with the Congolese authorities to investigate what has happened with the remaining money.
Following the statement from the Africa CDC, Congolese authorities, which are in charge of coordinating the response, highlighted that they have not received any money directly from international donors.
The country's health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba, told the Congolese Press Agency on Sunday that the authorities have restricted operations of organizations on the ground, and granted accreditations to only 25 out of almost 100 organizations that had been previously authorized to operate.
The authorities are investigating what happened to the money, he said, and implementing organizations are required to report how much money they received, from whom and detailed plans for how they are spending it.
“The funds granted were not paid into the general treasury; we must know who received what and who is doing what on the ground. All partners must be able to provide us with this information,” communications minister, Patrick Muyaya, told the AP.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached an eighth province in the country’s north, authorities said on Sunday as the spread of the world’s fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record continues to outpace response efforts.
Authorities have recorded at least 9,400 cases, including over 4,500 deaths, in the outbreak declared in mid-May, making it the deadliest in Congo’s history.
The virus has spilled over into other countries including neighboring Uganda, which has since declared itself free of the disease, and Kenya, which recorded a seventh case last week.
The spread of the outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, is fueled by mass population movements, rebel violence, mistrust and poor working conditions of front line workers.
FILE - The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Jean Kaseya speaks to the Associated Press during an interview in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi, File)
Health care workers queue to receive a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs spent a good chunk of their week off working on short-yardage situations, which they had been relatively good at this season, given how mightily they struggled in converting those same situations last season.
That's why they were so frustrated with their otherwise sublime 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Had the Chiefs scored after facing first-and-goal at the Chargers 2, or when they had first-and-goal at the Chargers 6, or on the drive that ended when Mahomes was brought down shy of the first-down marker on third-and-2, or not missed a field goal after he threw an incomplete pass on third-and-1 — well, the winning margin would have been a whole lot more comfortable.
“Yeah, I think it’s just you’ve got to — whenever stuff’s not pretty — you’ve got to be able to just push it and get the first down. I think that’s the biggest thing, and it’s not always going to be pretty,” Mahomes said. “We have the short-yardage where we score a long touchdown, and then we have the short-yardage where we didn’t get there with the push and stuff like that, and so we’ll continue to work on it. I mean, guys take pride in that. They take pride in the entire run game.”
To be clear: The run game was pretty darn good again.
Kenneth Walker ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, pushing his league-leading total to 665 yards through five games. On the first TD run, he slipped through a hole on third-and-1 and ran 33 yards to the end zone. On the other, Walker bounced off a tackle, picked up a block from Mahomes, and got into the end zone from 2 yards out to make it 16-3 in the second quarter.
But there also was room to be better. When faced with first-and-goal at the Chargers 8, the Chiefs gave the ball to Walker four times in a row, the last of them gaining nothing from the goal line and resulting in a turnover on downs.
“I feel like we're going to get better,” Walker said. “We have a lot of stuff we have to execute and get better and more detailed at.”
That's a sobering thought for the rest of the league, given Kansas City is one of the three remaining unbeaten teams.
There is also something of an urgency to the improvement. The Chiefs are heading into a tough, two-game road swing through Seattle and Denver, and they have back-to-back road games against the Bills and Rams a couple of weeks later.
“We spent time on the short-yardage (during the bye), and we didn’t do very good on it. So, we’ve got to figure that out,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "You’re down in there for a couple more touchdowns, and in the goal-line situations, you’ve got to score on short yardage. You’ve got to pick the first down up. And then one of those, they got us. I mean, the play that we called — I called the play. So, I mean, the play I called wasn’t set up for that coverage, and we’ve got to do better there.”
The Chiefs sacked the Chargers' Justin Herbert four times, their first four sacks since Week 1 against Denver.
Special teams. Nikko Remigio fumbled away a punt return and nearly had another fumble, and Harrison Butker missed both a field goal try and an extra point. That continued what has been a season-long problem on special teams for Kansas City.
Xavier Worthy stepped up with fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice inactive with a hamstring strain and Tyquan Thornton now on injured reserve. He had game highs of seven catches for 73 yards, most of them early, when Kansas City was building its lead.
Defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace was ejected after throwing a punch, leaving the Chiefs' defensive backfield shorthanded.
RT Jaylon Moore sustained a concussion early in the game, forcing the Chiefs to mix up their offensive line. He was already starting with Josh Simmons still sidelined by a bulging disc in his back, leaving Josh Ezeudu to finish the game in his place.
100 — Mahomes picked up his 100th win, matching Tom Brady for the fewest starts to reach the mark in NFL history.
Walker returns to Seattle, where he was the Super Bowl MVP while winning a ring with the Seahawks last season, for a marquee Sunday night showdown. The Chiefs running back downplayed his return to The Emerald City, saying: “Right now, I’m just focused on critiquing the mistakes we made. Once we get to that point, we'll see."
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, left, talks with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during warmups before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid responds to a question during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, center left, and Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrate a touchdown scored on a rushing play by Walker III during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes for a touchdown as Los Angeles Chargers players give chase during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) takes the hand off from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
