The closure of the Gatumba–Kavimvira border post between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for security reasons is profoundly disrupting daily lives in local communities.
Traders, mothers, and patients are being forced to suspend their activities and wait for the border to reopen.
In Gitega, the Burundian authorities are making any reopening conditional on a lasting improvement in the security situation on the other side of the border.
In Gatumba, a Burundian village, a 36-year-old former cross-border trader and mother of four has had to give up her usual activities. She now sells fruit and ripe bananas on the streets of Bujumbura to support her family.
"I sold ripe bananas and eggs. I often exported small bananas. I always had enough to feed my children. Even if I didn't save any money, at least the children had enough to eat. Once I was across the border, I knew my family would have enough to eat," she said.
Since the closure of the Gatumba border in December 2025, traffic on the Uvira road, linking Bujumbura to eastern DRC, has fallen sharply and cross-border trade has come to a virtual standstill.
"The border was our field. Traders worked with the certainty that their children would eat, go to school, and have medicine. After the closure, life was turned upside down. Children who used to eat two or three times a day now eat only once, often with poor nutrition. Sometimes we go a whole day without earning a single cent," said Clarisse Baricako, a representative of cross-border traders.
While waiting for the Gatumba border to reopen, traders are organizing themselves to find local alternatives with a meeting held recently to discuss trading fresh produce across different regions of Burundi.
"We plan to trade fish for pineapples or tomatoes here, inland, to ensure our survival. We have no other choice. I urge women traders not to sit idly by, but to go to local markets and identify products to sell. Someone who is used to trading cannot just stand by and do nothing," said Pulcherie Ahishakiye, the president of a cross-border women traders' advocacy platform.
On the ground, civilians and cross-border traders are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the border and the alleviation of the serious humanitarian consequences of a prolonged closure as authorities weigh security imperatives against the prosperity of local populations.
Closure of border post between Burundi, DRC disrupts lives of locals
