This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On Thursday, Rwanda's health minister, Diane Gashumba, appeared to contradict an earlier statement that the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo was closed near the Ebola-hit city of Goma. The border, she said, was never closed and remains open.
According to Gashumba, slowdowns in traffic at the border were caused by increased screening for Ebola, not a shutdown. This contradicts an earlier statement by Olivier Nduhungirehe, the state minister of foreign affairs, who said the border was shut.
Earlier on Thursday, Congolese health authorities confirmed a third case of Ebola in Goma, increasing fears that the virus could take root in the densely populated city. The outbreak has killed over 1,800 people in Congo since it was declared one year ago and has become the second-worst on record.
Despite the increased screening, some 45,000 people cross the main border post between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo every day, according to an immigration official.
Lucien Kalusha, a Congolese hairdresser who crosses the border daily to work in Rwanda, expressed frustration over the situation. 'By closing the border like this, they deprive a lot of people of their earnings today,' he said.
