Covid-19: Burundi expels WHO official, 3 other Covid-19 experts

Top World Health Organization representative and three other experts coordinating the coronavirus response in Burundi have been expelled from the country.

While disclosing this on May 12, 2020, Burundi foreign ministry said in a letter sent to WHO’s Africa headquarters that the four officials had to leave the territory of Burundi by Friday at the latest.

The expelled officials include the WHO’s representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the country’s coronavirus coordinator, Dr Jean Pierre Mulunda Nkata, communicable diseases head, Dr Ruhana Mirindi Bisimwa, and a laboratory expert in the testing for COVID-19, Professor Daniel Tarzy.

“It is the whole WHO team responsible for supporting Burundi in its response against COVID-19,” a Burundian official said.

“They are expelled and the health minister has totally excluded WHO, accusing it of unacceptable interference in its management of the coronavirus,” the letter reads.

Meanwhile, the reason for the decision was not stated in the letter.

But diplomatic and administrative sources disclosed that similar attempt was made last month, but it was thwarted by the foreign ministry.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has described the move as “unfortunate” at a time when greater cooperation was needed to tackle the virus on the continent.

“We are in dire need of technical expertise as a continent, which has a very weak health system and fragile infrastructure, where we don’t have the luxury of kicking out WHO,” Africa CDC director John Nkengasong told reporters on Thursday.

The country, which is preparing to elect a new president, parliamentarians and local officials and on May 20, has officially recorded 27 cases and one death from coronavirus.