Uvira Residents Decry Economic Toll of Burundi Border Closure

In Uvira, in the far east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, market vendors and families are begging for the reopening of the border with Burundi. A month after the withdrawal of M23/AFC fighters, gunfire has ceased, but the frontier remains shut and stalls sit empty. Residents say the closure has crippled the local economy and split families, with some children still on the Burundian side.

On a visit to the Uvira market, South Kivu governor Jean‑Jacques Purusi listened as women urged him to “open the border.” He admitted to feeling powerless and said the province wants the frontier reopened quickly but must weigh security risks. According to Purusi, armed groups are still operating near Sange, about 30 kilometres from Uvira, and in the surrounding highlands, only around 15 kilometres away. Burundi’s foreign minister has likewise argued that conditions are not yet safe enough for a reopening.

Until then, some residents are taking matters into their own hands. Nineteen‑year‑old Raphaël, who fled the Busuma refugee camp, described crossing Lake Tanganyika at night by dugout canoe because of poor conditions in the camp, where he said “there is a lot of misery”. His brothers were caught and remain in Gatumba on the Burundian side. Another man told how his group of fourteen attempted a clandestine crossing using jerrycans as floats; two of them never reached the shore.

The governor has promised to keep pressing for the border to reopen once security improves. For now, the people of Uvira remain stuck between an economic crisis and lingering insecurity, waiting for Kinshasa and Bujumbura to agree that the crossing can safely resume.