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Rwanda Tightens DRC Border Controls Over Deadly Ebola Emergency
Rwandan authorities have intensified health screenings and restricted cross-border movement along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread across the region.
The measures were implemented following the World Health Organization's (WHO) decision to declare an international public health emergency.
The outbreak, has already killed at least 131 people and caused 531 suspected infections in eastern DR Congo.
At border crossings near the Congolese city of Goma, health workers are actively checking temperatures and screening travelers entering Rwanda, according to Africa News report of Wednesday, May 20.
The heightened surveillance comes amid growing fears that the virus could spread further across East Africa.
However, the tighter controls are heavily impacting livelihoods and disrupting trade in Rwanda’s Rubavu district.
“We would like the government to find a solution so that we can transport our goods normally across the border while still taking precautions,” local trader Nsengiyaremye Kigendi told media.
Another resident, Twiringirimana Daniel, said traders are now forced to leave goods at the border for transporters on the Congolese side to collect, reducing profits and increasing losses.
