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Rwanda shuts border with Ebola-hit DRC: Congolese presidency
GOMA, DR Congo, Aug 1, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Rwanda has shut its frontier with
Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo after a third case of the deadly virus
was detected in the border city of Goma, the Congolese presidency said
Thursday.
In a statement, it said there had been a “unilateral decision by the
Rwandan authorities” that affected citizens from both countries who had to
cross the border as part of their daily life.
Goma, a city of two million people and a major transport hub, shares the
border with the Rwandan city of Gisenyi, which has a population of more than
85,000.
Cross-frontier links are intense. Many people have jobs on the other side
of the border while others have homes or put their children in schools in the
neighbouring 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 statement said.
“This decision harms a number of Congolese and expatriates who live in
Gisenyi but work in Goma.”
The announcement came just hours after a third case of Ebola was recorded
in Goma, widening the scope of the epidemic on its first anniversary.
Since August 1 2018, 1,803 lives have been lost in the second worst
outbreak of Ebola on record, according to figures released Wednesday.
Two of the three cases in Goma have died, sparking a race to find people
who have had contact with these patients.
Health experts fear outbreaks of contagious diseases in major cities.
In an urban setting, density of population, anonymity and high mobility
make it far harder to isolate patients and trace contacts compared to the
countryside.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1517 hrs