The “Corniche” border crossing, which connects the city of Goma in the République démocratique du Congo to Gisenyi in Rwanda, has initiated a phased reopening. This move comes after more than a week passed without any new active cases of the Ebola virus being reported in the area.
Initially, the relaxation of border measures is limited to specific categories of travelers. These include people heading to Gisenyi for banking services, humanitarian staff traveling to Goma or continuing to Kigali for international flights, and individuals with urgent needs verified by immigration authorities.
Local communities on both sides of the frontier have responded positively to the news. Cross-border trade, which is the backbone of the local economy, had been severely hampered by sanitary restrictions designed to contain the outbreak. The closure had brought daily commutes and commercial exchanges between Goma and Gisenyi to a near standstill.
Despite the reopening, health officials are not letting their guard down. They are maintaining strict epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, and community awareness campaigns to prevent a resurgence of the virus, which is known for its high mortality rate across Central Africa.
The temporary shutdown of the border posts had been in effect since the morning of May 17. While health authorities in Rwanda continue to monitor the epidemic in the eastern RDC, they have confirmed that no Ebola cases have been detected on Rwandan soil to date.
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