GOMA, DR Congo, May 27 (Xinhua) -- At the Grande Barriere crossing in Goma, once bustling with traders, porters, motorbike taxis, and travelers moving between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, silence now prevails.
For many residents here, the closure of border crossing points with Rwanda added another layer of uncertainty over daily trade, transport, and household incomes already strained by conflict and displacement.
Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, has long depended on cross-border exchanges with neighboring Rwanda's Gisenyi for imported goods, informal commerce, and small cash flows.
On May 17, just two days after the Ebola outbreak was declared, Rwandan authorities shut down the Grande Barriere crossing, allowing only Congolese and Rwandan nationals to return to their respective countries.
Days later, Rwanda further tightened its border controls following a confirmed case reported in Goma.
"The sales have taken a huge hit," said Dieumerci Shabani, a street vendor selling eggs near the Grande Barriere. Before the closure, he could sell five trays of eggs daily, while now he struggles to sell two.
"It is mainly because of the critical socio-economic situation caused by the closure of the borders," Shabani said. "Most of our customers are travelers and cross-border traders."
With fewer people moving toward the Grande Barriere and Petite Barriere, another crossing between the two border cities, motorbike taxi drivers had to lower fares and accept trips that barely covered rising fuel costs.
"We are forced to reduce transport prices because fewer and fewer people need to move," said Murhula Munguiko, a motorbike taxi driver in Goma. "Sometimes we take unprofitable trips for lack of clients, unlike before, when there were travelers who had to wait for a motorbike during peak days."
"We don't know how to get supplies of manufactured products such as energy drinks because of the border closure... It is handicapping us and leading to price speculation," said Justin Kasereka, an energy drink seller.
According to Alphonse Muanda, an economist in Goma, commercial ties between Goma and Gisenyi are so dense that restrictions on movement immediately impact merchants on both sides.
"In cross-border trade, some traders in Goma depend on those in Gisenyi, and vice versa," Muanda said. "When the DRC and Rwanda each decide to close the border, those who depend on trade in rice, soap, and other goods are directly affected."
The border closure comes as the DRC is battling an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare type for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.
The World Health Organization said that the response is being complicated by insecurity, displacement, dense population movements, and trade links across the region.
According to a situation report released Wednesday by the DRC's Ministry of Health, as of Tuesday, the country has recorded 1,077 suspected Ebola cases, 121 confirmed cases, and 238 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to the two affected countries, 11 others across the continent are now at high risk, namely South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Somalia.
Near the Grande Barriere crossing, Shabani arranged his unsold trays of eggs as another quiet morning slipped by.
The danger of Ebola felt real to him. "Before, people crossed and bought," he said. "Now everything has slowed." Enditem
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