Dr Congo and Rwanda partially reopen border after ebola lull
The Corniche border crossing, which connects Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Gisenyi in Rwanda, has begun a phased reopening after more than a week without any new active Ebola cases reported in the area, according to local sources.
Initially, the measure applies to specific categories of travelers, including those going to Gisenyi for banking transactions, humanitarian workers traveling to Goma or continuing onward to Kigali for international flights, and people with urgent reasons subject to immigration assessment.
The partial resumption of cross-border movement has been welcomed by communities on both sides, where trade had slowed significantly due to health restrictions aimed at curbing the disease. Transborder traffic, vital to the local economy, had been heavily disrupted, affecting commercial activities and daily travel between Goma and Gisenyi.
Health authorities continue epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, and community awareness efforts to prevent any resurgence of the virus, which has a high fatality rate in Central Africa.
The temporary closure of border posts between the DRC and Rwanda had been in effect since the morning of Sunday, May 17. Meanwhile, the Rwandan government, through its health ministry, says it is closely monitoring the outbreak in eastern DRC and reports no Ebola cases on its territory so far.
