For more than two years, relations between the DRC and Rwanda strenghen. The two countries in the Great Lakes region of Africa accuse each other of provocation, each accusing its neighbor of supporting its enemies who want to destabilize its territory. Despite these tensions, cohesion between peoples continues and is materialized through commercial and social exchanges.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Goma-Gisenyi

At the Goma-Gisenyi border, between the capital of the North Kivu province in eastern Congo and the western province of Rwanda, cross-border trade remains maintained in this part where at least two Congolese soldiers were killed by Rwandan forces who accused them of « violating the sovereign territory of Rwanda ». Some women traders in the city of Goma believe that « the political differences between our two countries should not affect our activities. »

« I cross this small border every morning towards Gisenyi, then I do my activities then return here to Goma. For us, small traders, we are only interested in our trade. I have friends in Gisenyi. When I arrive there before starting my activities, they give me food easily as if they were welcoming their own sister », rejoices Odile Kavira, a Congolese trader.

And to continue: « I don’t think that politics can divide us and if that could happen, my life would be in difficulty because Rwandans are our brothers and sisters. »

She says that apart from business, her friends often come to spend the weekend at her place in the city of Goma.

For Kavira, her Rwandan business partners have become “brothers and sisters a thousand times over because we feel no difference between us”.

“Besides, this weekend, the family of my friend Akeza Gaëlla was at my house here in Goma. We spent several hours together. She came to show her children what life in Goma is like,” she testifies.

It was the first time that Gaëlla Akeza visited Goma with her two daughters.

“Her two pretty daughters got to know my children. They were very surprised to hear Congolese who speak Kinyarwanda. It was great,” says Odile Kavira who plans to bring her children to the beaches of Gisenyi on the other side of the border to go « find Rwandan friends » also next weekend.

Creation of associations

According to Léonie Ayinkamiye, Rwandans and Congolese women who make a living from cross-border trade have created associations which bring them together with the sole aim of fighting poverty. These are small savings and loan cooperatives.

« Normally we do not have enormous capital to buy quantities of goods that we need. For example, here at the small barrier, I can hardly have 700 USD in a week but through our association, I find this money because Congolese women have a lot of dollars As we have a single fund, we also benefit from it,” says this Rwandan trader.

Unlike Burundi, Congo has never closed its borders with Rwanda despite disagreements. Several Congolese and Rwandans from Goma and Gisenyi who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi say that “closing this border would mean suffocating us”.

Advice to authorities

Residents of Goma and Gisenyi who spoke on our microphone asked their authorities to find lasting solutions to the conflicts which persist between the two countries and which risk « harming the lives of peaceful populations ».

« When I see a Rwandan, I feel at ease because he is a brother, I help him and he helps me especially when it comes to helping one another. I think that our leaders must look for how to resolve the problems they have among themselves to prevent this from affecting us, the common people who live on small means », indicates Marc Hamuli, Congolese trader.