UN official for fighting Ebola in Guinea found dead

KIGALI - The special representative of the UN secretary-general for Ebola emergency response has been found dead in his hotel room in the Guinean capital of Conakry, a Rwandan official said late Monday in Kigali.

Marcel Kanyankore Rudasingwa, a Rwandan, was found dead in his hotel room in the Guinean capital of Conakry. He had recently been appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to coordinate anti-Ebola efforts in Guinea.

"We are very sad to hear the death of a Rwandan national who was confirmed dead in his hotel room while on a UN duty mission to fight Ebola in Guinea," said Nathan Mugume, head of communications at Rwanda Biomedical Centre.

He said the circumstances of Rudasingwa's death remained unknown.

Rudasingwa is the second international personality who died mysteriously in Guinea. The head of the Cuban medical delegation, Graseciliano Jazbatolo, also died in similar circumstances.

Before his appointment, Rudasingwa had worked for nearly 20 years on different positions within the United Nations Children's Fund, where he held various managerial and leadership positions in Kenya, Mali, Guinea and Denmark.

According to the latest figures of the World Health Organization, Ebola has killed 5,160 people out of 14,098 patients in eight countries. The hardest-hit countries are Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.