INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Oxfam has said it is suspending its Ebola outbreak response work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to violent protests by
people barred from voting in the presidential election.The charity's statement comes after the DRC's electoral commission delayed the vote
in the Ebola-affected eastern cities of Beni and Butembo until March - well after the next president is inaugurated in January.Everyone else
in the country will get to vote on Sunday, a week after the elections had been due to take place.Contradicting his own health officials,
President Joseph Kabila claimed it would be a "disaster" if people using polling stations to vote infected others.But the World Health
Organisation warned "prolonged insecurity" in the country could erase gains make in tackling Ebola.Police said 22 people have been arrested
in protests against the president's move that began on Thursday.Beni's police chief, Blaise Safari, told AP officers have been clearing
streets of barricades amid the sound of gunfire after the police and army used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse marchers.Image:A
police officer directs traffic near the university in Goma amid protestsExperts from the World Health Organisation said precautions were
taken so that people could vote, including tons of hand sanitiser and a screening of all voters entering polling stations.In his comments on
Thursday evening, Mr Kabila claimed that Ebola could spread as people taking part in the elections had to use voting machines, which
required tapping on a touchscreen to select candidates.A polling station could have 500 to 600 voters and "this assumes that a lot of people
will be contaminated," he said.Image:A police officer takes cover after a tear gas cannister was thrown However health officials have said
voters would sanitise their hands before and after voting.Until this week, the Ebola outbreak, which was declared on 1 August, had been a
challenge but not a barrier to the election.Voting is now delayed in the cities of Beni and Butembo, but not in other communities with
confirmed Ebola cases.DRC's opposition said the move to delay voting effectively prevents about a million people from taking part in the
presidential elections,Acting Oxfam country director Raphael Mbuyi said the situation is "extremely worrying" because any previous
suspension in efforts to contain the deadly Ebola virus has led to a spike in new cases.Mr Mbuyi added: "It's not surprising that people who
have had their votes taken away at the last minute are frustrated and going to the streets
These people deserve to have their say as well."
4:03
Video:Sky's John Sparks reports
from Congo, which is struggling to cope with the outbreak amid suspicion over a vaccine.DRC's health ministry said the uproar over a delayed
presidential election in the two cities hit by a deadly Ebola outbreak has "badly disrupted" work to contain the virus.Ebola typically
targets adults, and the odds of surviving are poor, with more than 190 dying during the latest outbreak in Beni.But the staff at charity
ALIMA said they can prevent fatalities if victims get professional care quickly.More from Democratic Republic of CongoIt is believed that
between people, Ebola is spread only by direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of a person who has developed symptoms of the
disease, including saliva and sweat.The 2013-15 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa resulted in at least 28,616 suspected cases and 11,310
