Doctor helping Ebola outbreak killed by locals

Dr. Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist, was “one of hundreds of disease experts that the World Health Organization has recruited to help curb the ongoing Ebola outbreak there.” (npr.org)

It was no secret that Mouzoko was starting to feel uneasy during his time there. Locals were mean and threatened him on numerous occasions. His colleauges reported that he had stated on numerous occasions that “he felt scared in this environment.” They also stated that he was really focused on finishing his work there to get home to his wife and kids.

Unfortunately, Mouzoko was never able to make it home to his family. One Friday afternoon, his fears became reality when “two armed men burst into a staff meeting he was leading. Yao says witnesses told him the attackers first grabbed staffers’ cellphones and other equipment, then began shooting. Two people were injured. Mouzoko was killed.” (npr.org)

Since the attackers stole equipment from the center, the motive was thought to be economic.

“The witnesses told him that the attackers said, “Ebola doesn’t exist! … [You’ve] invented the disease.”” (npr.org)

The exact motive has yet to be determined.