Nobel Peace laureate Dr Denis Mukwege has resigned as head of a local task force fighting Covid-19 in eastern DRC in frustration at the government's response to the crisis.

Two months into his job as vice-president of a special health commission set up to fight Covid-19 in South Kivu province, Denis Mukwege called it a day on Wednesday, blaming organisational problems.

Sources from the national response team have acknowledged the resource shortage but have vowed that, as of next week, test results will be available in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, within 24 hours.

His resignation from the special health commission could strike a blow to the entire national response team led by Dr Jean-Jacques Muyembe, another renowned medical researcher in DRC.

While prioritising his role as caregiver to the influx of patients to Panzi hospital, Mukwege said he would continue to bring his "intellectual contribution in the fight against the pandemic in the province of South Kivu".