This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
On August 1, 2019, Rwanda closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, a week after announcing it would not do so, following confirmation of a third case of Ebola in the nearby city of Goma.
The decision was made due to fears of the spread of the deadly virus, with no Ebola cases reported in Rwanda but heightened surveillance and sensitization campaigns carried out across the country.
The Congolese presidency described Rwanda's stance as a 'unilateral decision' that affected citizens from both countries who relied on cross-frontier links for their daily lives.
Many people have jobs on the other side of the border, while others have homes or children in schools in the neighboring city.
"On the basis of a unilateral decision by the Rwandan authorities, Rwandan citizens cannot go to Goma and Congolese cannot leave Gisenyi but are prevented from going home," the Congolese presidency stated.
Since August 1, 2018, 1,803 lives have been lost in the second worst outbreak of Ebola on record, with two of the three cases in Goma resulting in deaths and sparking a race to find people who have had contact with these patients.
