A strategic border post between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi reopened on Monday after being closed for more than two months , according to Congolese authorities and a Burundian police official.
The Kavimvira post, located on Lake Tanganyika, which is vital to the region's economy, had been closed in December when the Rwandan-backed M23 launched a new offensive to conquer territory in eastern DRC.
This area is located on the main road linking Bujumbura, Burundi's economic capital, to the city of Uvira in the DRC. According to experts, the M23 offensive in December, which targeted Uvira, aimed to cut off Burundi's military support to Congolese forces. This series of attacks forced tens of thousands of Congolese to flee to Burundi.
Economic contacts nevertheless continued across Lake Tanganyika, and the M23 withdrew from Uvira , in South Kivu province, in January, citing a request from the United States, which is seeking to mediate between the DRC and Rwanda in the latest conflict to plague eastern DRC. Following this, Congolese authorities announced they had regained control of the city.
The governor of South Kivu, Jean-Jacques Purusi, declared that the border had reopened at 8:00 a.m. on Monday. A Burundian border police official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, "We are seeing many Congolese returning home" across the border. Other border crossings between Burundi and the DRC in areas where M23 forces are deployed remain closed, the sources indicated.
