KINSHASA – A key border crossing between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi reopened yesterday after a closure of more than two months during an offensive by an armed group, sources on both sides of the frontier told AFP.

The Kavimvira post on Lake Tanganyika, which is vital for the region’s economy, was closed in December as the Rwanda-backed M23 launched a new drive for territory in eastern DR Congo.

Authorities on the Congo side and a Burundi police official at the frontier confirmed that the crossing had reopened.

The frontier post is on the main road from the Burundi economic capital Bujumbura and the DR Congo city of Uvira. Experts said the M23 offensive in December, aiming for Uvira, intended to cut Burundi’s military support for DR Congo forces.

Tens of thousands of Congolese fled into Burundi because of the offensive.

Economic contacts went ahead across Lake Tanganyika and the M23 withdrew from Uvira in South Kivu province in January, citing a demand from the United States, which has been seeking to mediate between DR Congo and Rwanda in the latest conflict to hit eastern DR Congo.

The mineral-rich region has been stricken by three decades of violent turmoil, the latest of which blew up after the resurgence of the Rwanda-backed M23 in 2021.

With the DR Congo army back in control of Uvira, authorities felt confident to reopen the frontier.

South Kivu governor Jean-Jacques Purusi said it had reopened at 8:00 am yesterday. 

A Burundi border police official told AFP, on condition of anonymity: “We can see a lot of Congolese returning home” across the frontier.
Other Burundi-DR Congo border posts in zones where the M23 forces are deployed remain closed, the sources said. – Nampa/AFP