India-Africa summit in Delhi postponed due to Ebola outbreak; advisory issued for arriving passengers

The Indian government and the African Union jointly decided to postpone the summit, which was expected to be attended by the leaders and delegates of several countries in Africa.

New Delhi: The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, which was scheduled to take place in New Delhi from May 28 to 31, has been postponed, in view of the Ebola outbreak not only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also in Uganda.

The Government of India and the African Union jointly decided to postpone the summit, which was expected to be attended by the leaders and delegates of several countries in Africa.

The decision to postpone the summit was taken on a day the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Union Government issued a health advisory for passengers arriving from or transiting through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sudan – categorised as “high-risk countries” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – and asked them to report to the health officer or health desk at the airports before immigration clearance if they had symptoms or exposure history.

India and the African Union agreed that it would be advisable to convene the summit at a later date, according to a press release issued by the MEA on Thursday. The MEA added that the new dates for the summit and its associated meetings would be finalised through mutual consultations and communicated in due course.

Health agencies across Central Africa are racing to contain a renewed Ebola outbreak that has triggered alarm in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda. The infections are linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no fully approved vaccine currently exists, making containment more difficult.

The outbreak has already caused significant casualties, while hundreds of suspected cases remain under monitoring. The WHO declared the latest outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and warned that armed violence in eastern Congo, population displacement and fragile healthcare systems are slowing emergency response efforts. The medical experts fear the crisis could deepen unless surveillance, isolation facilities and cross-border coordination are strengthened urgently.

⁠India reaffirmed its solidarity with the peoples and the governments of Africa and expressed its readiness to contribute to efforts led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and aimed at addressing the evolving health situation, the MEA stated on Thursday.