The number of people crossing the Rwanda-DR Congo border, on a daily basis, through the main border-crossing in Rubavu town has surged, official figures indicate. According to figures from Rubavu District, daily border crossings have risen significantly post Covid-19, from 4,000 to over 20,000 people. ALSO READ: How Rubavu port is set to reshape cross-border trade with DR Congo Prior to the pandemic, which paralysed nearly all movement, approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people used to cross the busiest land border in Africa, everyday. Speaking to The New Times about the factors driving the increase in border users, the Mayor of Rubavu District, Prosper Mulindwa, said that the situation normalised after the managed emergencies and pandemics like Covid-19 and Mpox and the border was fully open on the Rwandan side. ALSO: Rwanda, DR Congo foreign ministers meet at border The situation has returned to normal as our country adapted its response to emergencies and pandemics, Mulindwa stated. DR Congo remains a big market. Mulindwa said that many Congolese travel to Rwanda for education, either in higher institutions (universities) or other schools, contributing to the increased border traffic. Trade barriers remain Despite DR Congo being a big market for Rwanda’s exports, a number of trade barriers imposed by the Congolese authorities persist. We have not imposed any trade barriers, Mulindwa clarified. Rwanda remains open for Congolese citizens. The primary challenge is the early closure of the border by the DR Congo, at 3:00 p.m. which is hindering the movement of people and goods. DR Congo is the main export destination; accounting for 161.48 percent of Rwanda’s total re-exports, as per data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) regarding trade partners for the second quarter of 2024. The most re-exported commodity group is food and live animals’ (US$ 50.64 million) and mineral fuels, lubricants, and related materials (US$ 41.71 million), the report showed. In terms of re-exports, the report states, the top five destinations were DR Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Uganda. Meanwhile, DR Congo is ranked second, followed by China, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom among the top five Rwanda export destinations as per the formal external trade in goods report (Q2, 2024). The United Arab Emirates tops the list. Call for reintroduction of ‘jetons’ It is estimated that nearly 80 percent of cross-border traders, through the Petite Barrière and Grande Barrière border posts in Rubavu town are women who rely on the border as their source of income, as well as source of livelihood for many Congolese. Kaseka Mwindo, a 30-year-old vendor from Goma, the capital of DR Congo’s North Kivu Province, highlighted the importance of border trade to his family's well-being. The border is our livelihood, he said. Console Nyiransabimana, a 50-year-old vegetable seller in Goma, appealed for the reintroduction of jetons, or day passes, as a more affordable and convenient alternative to the current border crossing procedures. Normally, people living near the border were issued with a border pass, or jeton, to allow them to conduct daily cross-border activities. Long queues at the border are a significant challenge, Nyiransabimana explained. Small-scale cross-border traders would benefit greatly from the reintroduction of day passes, ‘CEPGL travel document’ is time-consuming.”
