A major diplomatic gathering between India and African leaders has been put on hold after a fresh Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo raised serious public health concerns across the continent.

So here’s the update — India and the African Union have agreed to delay the Fourth India–Africa Forum Summit, which was originally set to take place in New Delhi from 28–31 May.

According to cbinews.tv, India’s Ministry of External Affairs explained that the decision was made “mindful of the emerging public health situation on the continent,” with both sides agreeing it would simply be safer to hold the meeting at a later date.

The trigger for the postponement is a worrying Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already been declared in the eastern region. Health officials are on alert, with the World Health Organization warning that while the global risk remains low, the situation in central Africa is serious and could have been spreading undetected for months.

India has also said it stands ready to support Africa CDC-led efforts to tackle the outbreak and strengthen health response systems across the continent — a clear sign that cooperation is still very much on the table, just on a revised timeline.

For context, Ebola is a severe haemorrhagic fever that has claimed more than 15,000 lives in Africa over the past five decades. This latest outbreak in the DRC is already linked to an estimated 139 deaths out of around 600 suspected cases.

In response to the evolving situation, Delhi’s international airport has issued a health advisory for passengers arriving from the DRC, as well as nearby Uganda and South Sudan.

For now, both sides have stressed that the summit isn’t cancelled — just postponed — and new dates will be announced once the situation stabilises.

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