Ebola closure cuts off a lifeline between DRC’s Goma and Rwanda

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Between the border posts linking Goma and the Rwandan town of Gisenyi, at Petite Barrière, stands a wooden hut that was once crowded with traders and travellers moving back and forth each day.

Now it stands empty.

A few dozen metres away, a sentry box painted in the colours of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) overlooks a border that has long sustained thousands of livelihoods. Across the frontier, another painted green box marks the entrance to Gisenyi.

Since authorities announced a confirmed Ebola case in Goma on May 16, the crossing has been closed, cutting off a vital trade route for thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on moving between the two cities.

Many residents say they were turned back on May 17 as they attempted to enter Rwanda.

Among them was Murielle Ihora, a mother of three who makes a living selling tomatoes.

She recalls waking before dawn, hoping to buy fresh produce in Rwanda at prices low enough to turn a profit back in Goma.

“On May 17, with my two baskets, I was getting ready to cross into Rwanda to buy some tomatoes to resell here in Goma. On my arrival, I was told that the crossing had been suspended by the Rwandan authorities,” she recalls.

Unable to continue her usual trade, Ihora now travels to neighbouring villages, including Minova, about 30km southwest of Goma in South Kivu province, to source her stock.

Her experience is increasingly common in a city where cross-border commerce sustains countless households.

According to World Bank estimates from 2015, between 20,000 and 30,000 people crossed the Petite Barriere border post in Goma every day, many of them engaged in small-scale trade. For many residents of Goma and Gisenyi, the border underpins daily trade and household incomes.

Public health versus livelihoods

As Ebola continues to affect parts of the DRC, neighbouring countries, including Rwanda and Uganda, have introduced measures to prevent the virus from crossing their borders.

Rwanda imposed health restrictions, including barring entry to foreign travellers who had been in the DRC in the previous 30 days.

Yet some health experts question whether border closures are an effective response.

Last month, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that the agency does not recommend closing borders during Ebola outbreaks, arguing that such measures are ineffective and can cause significant harm.

Dr Elie Bajo, a health policy analyst, says movement restrictions may be considered during outbreaks as part of efforts to limit transmission, but argues that surveillance remains the most effective tool.

“In the event of an epidemic, there is what is known as surveillance, which is carried out in several ways. This takes place mainly at points of entry and checkpoints. It’s like airports, roadblocks and other border crossings,” he told Al Jazeera.