Rwanda and DR Congo's border towns of Rubavu and Goma, respectively, are experiencing a surge in cross-border movement of people and goods after AFC/M23 rebels secured the capital of eastern DR Congo's North Kivu Province.
This comes two weeks after the rebels captured Goma and quickly moved to bring back order; restoring water and electricity as well as reopening schools and businesses.
WATCH: Businesses in Birere, a beehive of commercial activity in eastern DR Congo's city of Goma on Monday, February 10, a fortnight after the lakeside city was taken by the M23 rebel movement. : @JMunyaneza / TNT pic.twitter.com/Sn34Bq0V7o-- The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) February 11, 2025
According to the Mayor of Rubavu District, Prosper Mulindwa, over 30,000 people are crossing the border, up from an earlier daily estimate of 15,000 to 20,000 people.
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This marks a new high record since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted cross-border movement, significantly impacting trade between Rwanda and DR Congo, Rwanda's largest export destination. DR Congo accounts for 161.48 percent of Rwanda's total re-exports, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda's (NISR) data for the second quarter of 2024.
Mulindwa attributes the increased movement of people to factors that include the extended border crossing hours "on the other side" and a return to normalcy in Goma.
"The Rwanda-DR Congo border post [in Rubavu] now stays open until 6:00 pm, instead of closing at 3:00 pm," he explained.
"Our citizens crossing into Goma report feeling safer. Previously, they would report violence, corruption, and arrests. Now, there are no security incidents, and people are able to work and benefit from the extended border hours."
Residents of Goma and Rubavu welcomed the increased freedom of movement. Emmanuel Cyiza, a Goma resident, told The New Times: "There is no problem at all. Importantly, the border is being closed at 6:00 pm due to the return to normalcy in Goma.
"It was not easy during the fighting because we could hardly put food on the table. It's hard to get money for food when we don't cross into Rwanda. We are delighted that the towns are now in peace, thanks to M23 for restoring peace."
Agnes Uwizeyimana, a Rwandan living near the border, added, "There is free movement of people and goods, and crossings have drastically increased. It's calm now; we don't hear any more shelling or gunfire. The situation changed significantly in just one week."
ALSO READ: Businesses re-open as normalcy returns in Rubavu
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the border post saw an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people crossing daily, making it one of Africa's busiest. The pandemic had reduced this number to around 1,200 people.
After the pandemic, however, insecurity in eastern DR Congo did not permit normal movement to continue. War between a Congolese government army coalition that includes FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, against M23 rebels started in late 2021.
A few months later, the Congolese army coalition would be boosted by reinforcements including Burundian troops, thousands of Congolese militia elements grouped in what is called Wazalendo, and South Africa-led SADC forces.
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M23, a rebel movement fighting for the rights of a persecuted Congolese community in North Kivu Province, is now a member of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023.
The rebel movement led by Corneille Nangaa, a former president of the Congolese electoral commission (CENI), is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict.
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Nangaa and others have vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.
On Tuesday, the rebels warned that they could advance toward Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, saying continued attacks against civilians by the Congolese army and its allies may force them to intervene. The security situation in South Kivu has deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition including the Wazalendo militia.
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In a February 10 statement, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the group had received distress calls from residents of Bukavu, indicating that the Congolese army and allied militias were committing widespread killings and looting. The rebels warned that the crimes committed in Bukavu "by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime must stop immediately; otherwise, we will have no choice but to intervene to protect the Congolese population."
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COOMUNIQUÉ OFFICIEL DE L'ALLIANCE FLEUVE CONGO DU 10 FÉVRIER 2025 Les crimes commis à Bukavu par les forces de la coalition du régime de Kinshasa doivent cesser immédiatement ; à défaut, nous n'aurons d'autre choix que d'intervenir pour protéger la population congolaise. pic.twitter.com/VWjQfaxcCQ-- Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) February 10, 2025
ALSO READ: DR Congo: M23 calls out Congolese forces as cases of violence, abuse emerge in South Kivu
"The AFC/M23 has heard the desperate cries of the civilian population in Bukavu. The FARDC and its allied forces continue to commit unspeakable atrocities against civilians, including assassinations and widespread looting," Kanyuka noted, adding "These crimes must stop immediately; otherwise, we will have no choice but to intervene to protect the Congolese population."
