Month-long nightmare ends as Gujarat man stuck in ebola-hit Congo for a month returns

3 min readAhmedabadUpdated: Jun 18, 2026 01:55 AM IST

Following a call from the Deputy CM’s office, the NRGF on June 10 got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as well as the Indian High Commission in Rwanda, and the Indian Embassy in DR Congo. On June 17, the final legal requirements for Dr Amin Sama to leave DR Congo and head to Rwanda, were completed, following which he crossed the border, and took a flight from Kigali to Addis Ababa.

A man from Gujarat’s Kutch, who had been stranded in Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo for a  month, began his return journey to India, thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Gujarat government, the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian diplomatic missions.

Speaking to The Indian Express over phone, Professor Amin Sama, an assistant professor of English literature at the Ramji Ravji Lalan College, Bhuj, said he boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, bound for Bole Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday evening. From Ethiopia, he is scheduled to board another flight at 12:25 am which is scheduled to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mumbai, on Thursday.

Sama had been stuck in Congo following international border closures caused by the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Sama’s  visit to the DR Congo from Rwanda on a five-day visit to meet a friend turned into a nightmare as he got stranded for a month in the country.

It took the intervention of the Government of India, following an appeal made to the office of Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, to finally enable him to exit DR Congo.

Speaking to The Indian Express on WhatsApp before boarding his flight to Addis Ababa, Professor Sama said, “I came to Goma, DR Congo, on May 15 to meet my childhood friend. I traveled from Kigali, Rwanda, to Goma by crossing the border after completing the immigration procedures. My initial plan was to stay in Goma for five days and then continue my journey to Tanzania for further travel (before returning to India).”

Goma is the capital of the North Kovu province of DR Congo and lies on its eastern border with Rwanda.

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Professor Sama said, “However, on May 17, the Rwanda government closed the border due to the Ebola virus, which prevented me from returning to Kigali as originally planned. As a result, I was compelled to remain in Goma. Due to these unforeseen border restrictions, I was unable to travel according to my schedule and had to postpone my return flight. I had booked a return ticket for May 31, but because of the border closure, I couldn’t travel.”

Professor Sama’s exit from DR Congo was coordinated by the Non Resident Gujarati Foundation (NRGF), a state government organisation dealing with issues faced by Gujaratis abroad, said a statement from the state government.

Following a call from the Deputy CM’s office, the NRGF on June 10 got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as well as the Indian High Commission in Rwanda, and the Indian Embassy in DR Congo. On June 17, the final legal requirements for Dr Amin Sama to leave DR Congo and head to Rwanda, were completed, following which he crossed the border, and took a flight from Kigali to Addis Ababa.

At the time of writing this report, Professor Sama was in transit – on his way back home.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters.

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Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat.

Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border.

Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad.

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