00:00A bridge separates Bukavu and the Democratic Republic of Congo from Kamembe in Rwanda.
00:06But Congolese people were unable to cross into the neighboring country on Monday
00:10following the latest Ebola outbreak in Congo.
00:13Rwandan authorities closed the border crossing amid a resurgence of Ebola
00:17in Congo's Ituri province, as well as a confirmed case in Goma City.
00:22As of Monday, the Congo health cluster said there have been 105 suspected Ebola deaths
00:27and nearly 400 suspected Ebola cases, with the rare strain of the virus having no approved vaccine.
00:34The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency,
00:39warning of the risk of regional spread.
00:41But Lucien Buhendwa, a Congolese worker who commutes to Bukavu, is worried about his livelihood.
00:47This measure shocks me. It shocks.
00:50I think I'm not the only one taking it badly, because it is a measure that falls suddenly.
00:54We sleep. We wake up and learn that the borders are being closed.
00:59In Goma, residents returning from Gisenyi in Rwanda were still allowed to cross back into Congo
01:05after washing their hands with soap and undergoing temperature screening by border hygiene officers.
01:11The new controls affect Congolese communities already heavily dependent on Rwanda
01:16since the fall of Goma to AFC M23 forces.
01:19Many rely on banks in Gisenyi for financial transactions, while others cross daily for work, school, or trade.
01:26And while the health situation is urgent, workers like motorcycle taxi driver Mokinggerwa Barabara
01:32question if there are not alternative measures to take.
01:36Our brothers from Rwanda live on the day's rate.
01:39They come to work here every day and in search of a living.
01:43There are also those Congolese who go to seek work in Rwanda, and that allows families to survive.
01:52For my part, I would like the authorities to take other measures that can help us regarding health,
01:58rather than closing the borders, because the borders help us all.
02:02I will be in the right direction.
02:05I will be in the right direction.
Comments