As the armed conflict intensifies in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), cross-border trade with Burundi is taking a severe blow. Trade, once flourishing, is now hampered by insecurity, endangering the local economy and the livelihoods of traders.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Since January and February 2025, the armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seriously disrupted cross-border trade with Burundi. Faced with violence and insecurity, traders from both countries are struggling to cross the border and transport their goods.

Dynamic trade undermined

Traditionally, trade relations between Burundi and the DRC are based on a wide range of products. Burundian traders import Congolese loincloths and in return export beverages, particularly beer, to the DRC. For their part, Congolese traders obtain their supplies of essential food products from Burundi.

A crucial market for the Burundian economy

Figures from the Burundian Revenue Authority (OBR) demonstrate the importance of this cross-border trade. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the DRC accounted for more than 89% of Burundi’s exports to Central Africa, confirming its key role in the flow of Burundian products.

In October 2024, the two countries established a Simplified Trade Regime (RECOS) aimed at facilitating cross-border trade. This agreement covers 66 products of Burundian and Congolese origin, including Congolese loincloths and Burundian beverages. Thanks to RECOS, small traders can import or export goods worth up to $500 per day, with simplified customs clearance procedures and reduced transaction costs.

Trade paralyzed by conflict

However, the intensification of fighting in eastern DRC has deeply disrupted these trades. Insecurity hinders the movement of goods, weakening the local economy and threatening the livelihoods of traders who depend on this trade.

While waiting for an improvement in the situation, businesspersons in both countries remain suspended on developments in the conflict, hoping for a rapid return to stability to restart their activities.

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Burundian cross-border traders at the border between Burundi and Congo, September 29, 2023 (SOS Médias Burundi)