Kinshasa, Mar 10 (AP/UNB)— Heavily armed assailants again attacked an Ebola treatment center in the heart of eastern Congo's deadly outbreak on Saturday, with one police officer killed and health workers injured, authorities said, while frightened patients waited in isolation rooms for the gunfire to end.

The early-morning attack in Butembo came less than a week after the treatment center reopened following an attack last month, which forced Doctors Without Borders to suspend operations in the city amid warnings that ending this outbreak is impossible if health workers aren't protected.

Dozens of armed groups are active in mineral-rich eastern Congo, though some have allowed health workers access to administer Ebola vaccines and track contacts of infected people after delicate negotiations.

Security forces on Saturday repelled the attackers, one of whom was wounded, Butembo Mayor Sylvain Kanyamanda said. Congo's health ministry in a statement said forces had surrounded the center after being tipped to a possible assault, "saving many lives."

The attack occurred hours before the World Health Organization director-general and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director visited the center, which remained open. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus encouraged workers to continue their fight against the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is spreading in a region compared to a war zone.

"It breaks my heart to think of the health workers injured and police officer who died in today's attack," Tedros said. WHO has requested and received more support from United Nations and local police forces to protect treatment centers, he said, and blamed the attack on "elements who are exploiting the desperation of the situation for their own purposes."

Some community members wary of outsiders after years of deadly rebel attacks have shown hostility to health workers in a region that is facing its first Ebola outbreak. Misunderstandings have been high, especially over the need to conduct safe burials, a highly sensitive issue. Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever, is spread via bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead.

On Thursday, the Doctors Without Borders president warned that Ebola containment efforts face a "climate of deepening community mistrust" seven months after the outbreak was declared, and the use of security forces complicates efforts. People are still reluctant to bring the sick to treatment centers, Joanne Liu said.

That hesitance, and sometimes outright evasion, by some community members has deeply complicated efforts to track contacts of infected people and carry out vaccinations.

To conquer Ebola, "we must strike a delicate balance between providing accessible care, maintaining the neutrality of the response and protecting patients and staff from attacks by armed groups," the WHO chief said on Saturday.

Another Ebola treatment center in Katwa was attacked late last month, with one person killed. Doctors Without Borders suspended its operations there. The attacks enormously disrupted virus containment efforts, Congo's health ministry said, warning that a "significant upsurge" in new Ebola cases could follow.

For those trying to contain the outbreak, the attacks are occurring in the worst possible locations. Butembo and Katwa made up more than 86 percent of new confirmed cases over the past three weeks, the health ministry said Monday.

The ministry, which on Sunday tweeted a photo of smiling workers reopening the Butembo treatment center, says 854 Ebola cases have been confirmed since this outbreak was declared on Aug. 1, including 578 deaths.

The outbreak is second to the one in West Africa that killed more than 11,300 people during 2014-2016.

This time, dramatic advances have been seen. More than 86,000 people have received an experimental Ebola vaccine, a clinical trial of experimental treatments is under way and new treatment facilities allow some Ebola patients to be within sight and sound of family members.

Still, millions of people have been screened at transit points in the densely populated region as health workers try to keep Ebola from spreading into neighboring Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.

"We are committed to ending the outbreak," the WHO chief said, "and we will not leave until we do."

Nigeria, Mar 3 (AP/UNB) — More than 50 people are missing after a leaking oil pipeline exploded and caused a stampede in southern Nigeria, a local official said Saturday.

The blast early Friday caused massive oil spillage in the Nembe kingdom in Bayelsa state, the Nembe Chiefs Council spokesman, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, told The Associated Press.

The Nembe trunk line is operated by the Port Harcourt-based Aiteo Group and carries crude to the Bonny export terminal. Aiteo had yet to comment on the explosion. It was not immediately clear if the pipeline had been shut down.

Video obtained by the AP shows a large blaze from the ruptured pipeline at night as villagers look on. "If they turn off the oil well from the station, the pressure inside the pipeline would reduce, causing the flame to burn out," one person is heard in the background explaining.

The Niger Delta is highly polluted. Nigerian oil companies usually assert that the majority of oil spills are caused by sabotage, theft and illegal refining.

Deadly accidents caused by leaking pipelines are alarmingly common. In January, an overturned oil tanker exploded in Odukpani in Cross River state while dozens of people were scooping up the leaking fuel. Police said at least 12 people were killed while some witnesses estimated up to 60 were dead.

Hundreds of people have died in similar accidents in recent years in Africa's largest oil producer as impoverished people risk their lives to collect fuel leaking from pipelines or trucks.

Warri, Mar 2 (AP/UNB) — More than 50 people are missing after a leaking oil pipeline exploded and caused a stampede in southern Nigeria, a local official said Saturday.

The blast early Friday caused massive oil spillage in the Nembe kingdom in Bayelsa state, the Nembe Chiefs Council spokesman, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, told The Associated Press.

The Nembe trunk line is operated by the Port Harcourt-based Aiteo Group and carries crude to the Bonny export terminal. Aiteo had yet to comment on the explosion. It was not immediately clear if the pipeline had been shut down.

Video obtained by the AP shows a large blaze from the ruptured pipeline at night as villagers look on. "If they turn off the oil well from the station, the pressure inside the pipeline would reduce, causing the flame to burn out," one person is heard in the background explaining.

The Niger Delta is highly polluted. Nigerian oil companies usually assert that the majority of oil spills are caused by sabotage, theft and illegal refining.

Deadly accidents caused by leaking pipelines are alarmingly common. In January, an overturned oil tanker exploded in Odukpani in Cross River state while dozens of people were scooping up the leaking fuel. Police said at least 12 people were killed while some witnesses estimated up to 60 were dead.

Hundreds of people have died in similar accidents in recent years in Africa's largest oil producer as impoverished people risk their lives to collect fuel leaking from pipelines or trucks.

Kano, Feb 26 (AP/UNB) — Anxious Nigerians on Tuesday awaited a second day of state-by-state announcements of presidential election results in a race described as too close to call.

President Muhammadu Buhari leads by more than 280,000 votes as he seeks a second term in Africa's largest democracy, urging Nigerians to give him time to build on the "foundation" of his first that was hurt by a rare recession and widespread insecurity.

Eleven of 36 states have been announced, with the process resuming at 10 a.m. and expecting to continue late into the day or even Wednesday. States with the largest numbers of voters have yet to be announced.

Buhari has won seven states, including two in the northeast, while top challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president, has won four southern states and the capital territory.

Abubakar's party has alleged manipulation of results after Saturday's vote. The ruling party has rejected the claim and called it an attempt to discredit the election, which some observers have called a step back from the 2015 vote seen as one of the best-run in the country's history.

Nigerians now wonder whether Buhari or Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or whether they will challenge the results. One former United States ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, says the troubled election has given them grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

Both foreign and domestic election observers say this vote was hurt by a weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations, likely discouraging many people from voting. Ballot box-snatching and vote-buying were also reported.

While observers said the process was generally peaceful, at least 39 people were killed, including an election worker hit by a stray bullet. The electoral commission chairman made an urgent telephone call to secure the release others taken hostage.

Nigeria's some 190 million people say they pray for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan conceded before official results were announced to Buhari, a former military dictator who pulled off the first defeat of an incumbent by the opposition in the country's history.

Many worry that such a concession appears unlikely this time.

"Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled," Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, told The Associated Press. "Accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship. This is a critical vehicle for democratic consolidation. So far, it is unclear what the candidates will do."

For the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of overall votes as well as at least 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states. If that isn't achieved, the election moves to a runoff.

The YIAGA Africa project, which deployed more than 3,900 observers, projected that no runoff election will be needed and that a "clear winner" would emerge.

It was not yet clear how many of Nigeria's estimated 73 million eligible voters turned out. YIAGA estimated turnout at between 36 percent and 40 percent, down from 44 percent in 2015. That would continue the trend of recent elections.

Kano, Feb 26 (AP/UNB) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari surged to an early lead in election returns Monday, winning seven of 36 states in Africa's largest democracy, while the main opposition rejected the count, alleging manipulation.

Election observers said the last-minute postponement of the vote until Saturday discouraged some Nigerians from going to the polls as Buhari seeks a second term heading a country troubled by corruption, insecurity and a weak economy.

Buhari, a former military dictator from the north, faced a strong challenge from top opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and businessman, in a race many saw as too close to call.

As of midnight, Abubakar had won three southern states and the territory that includes the capital, Abuja. Buhari led by more than 450,000 votes overall.

Abubakar's party chairman, Uche Secondus, accused ruling party agents of hacking into the electoral commission's computer server and manipulating results. He rejected the count as "incorrect, thus unacceptable."

The ruling party dismissed the claim and accused Abubakar's party of trying to discredit the election. Spokesman Festus Keyamo urged the opposition not to "derail us to the dark past with its childish antics."

Final results are expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.

African Union observers called the political climate "largely peaceful and conducive for the conducting of credible elections" but urged the country of some 190 million people to remain calm.

A Nigerian civil society platform, the Situation Room, noted "major logistic lapses" in the vote. The election was a step back from 2015, praised as one of Nigeria's most transparent and efficient votes, the group said.

At least 39 people were killed in voting-related violence over the weekend. Election observers organized by the Commonwealth, of which Nigeria is a member, called that "deeply troubling," saying Africa's largest democracy can do better.

"The peaceful achievement of millions was overshadowed by the violence of a few," U.S. Ambassador Stuart Symington said.

Nigeria's election was originally scheduled for Feb. 16 but the electoral commission postponed it just hours before polls were to open, citing logistical issues. The late arrival of election officials and materials, as well as malfunctions and harassment, caused voting to continue in parts of the country into Sunday.

The delays "risk undermining citizen confidence in elections and disenfranchising voters," the U.S.-based International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute observers said. European Union observers said many people were discouraged from voting.

It was not yet clear how many of Nigeria's estimated 73 million eligible voters turned out. The YIAGA Africa project, which deployed more than 3,900 observers, put it at between 36 percent and 40 percent, down from 44 percent in 2015. It projected that no runoff election will be needed.

Widespread concerns continued about possible incitement to violence by the major political parties, the U.S.-based observers said, while noting that Nigerians have showed resilience and patience.

Supporters of Buhari and Abubakar briefly confronted each other in the northern city of Kano, pulling knives and machetes. The overall mood was celebratory, however, as the ruling party anticipated victory in Nigeria's largest city and the heart of the largely Muslim north.

The president is widely seen as being relatively upright in a country riddled with corruption. But some voters said he has not delivered on his promises.

"I believe we need a change," said 34-year-old Cosmos Eze in Kano, as a television in his auto parts shop broadcast election results.

Shops along his street are sprinkled with names like Blessed, Success and Godswill, but workers grumbled. Nigeria's economy dipped into a rare recession in 2016 when global oil prices crashed, and unemployment shot up to 23 percent. Recovery from the recession has been slow.

A bag of rice that was 7,500 naira ($20) before Buhari took office is now twice that, said Nasir Auwal, a 35-year-old bank worker.

He supported the president, however, saying the threat from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has essentially disappeared in the city that once saw scores of people killed.

"Before, when I left my house, my wife would cry because she was afraid I would not come back," Auwal said. The extremists were largely pushed out of communities under Buhari but have made a deadly resurgence in recent months, attacking military bases in the northeast.

Waiting for the announcement of a winner, 48-year-old shop worker Innocent Akannam repeated the wishes of many Nigerians.

"What I'm expecting after the final results is, let there be peace," he said.