Burundi Reopens Border With DR Congo After Two-Month Closure

Burundi has reopened its land border with the Democratic Republic of Congo after more than two months of closure caused by fighting in eastern Congo, officials said Monday.

The Kavimvira-Gatumba border, located north of Lake Tanganyika, is a strategic crossing connecting Congo with Burundi's commercial capital, Bujumbura.

Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki, governor of South Kivu, told reporters the border reopened in the morning. Social media footage showed people, including traders, lining up to pass through immigration offices.

The crossing was closed in early December after the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) seized the town of Uvira. The armed groups withdrew in January following international pressure.

The reopening was welcomed by South Kivu's civilian population, who urged Congolese refugees in Burundi to return to their homes.

However, new reports indicate ongoing clashes between armed groups and government forces in the Masisi area, forcing thousands of residents to flee.

Earlier this month, Angolan President Joao Lourenco proposed a ceasefire in eastern Congo starting February 18, which the Congolese government accepted "in a responsible and peace-seeking manner."

Despite this, Congolese forces accused AFC/M23 and Rwandan troops on Friday of attacking positions in North and South Kivu, violating the Angola-brokered ceasefire. AFC spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka also accused "Kinshasa-aligned forces" of indiscriminate shelling in densely populated areas of Rumbishi.

The M23 armed group remains the main actor in the eastern Congo conflict, controlling large areas including the regional capitals Goma and Bukavu, which it captured earlier in 2025. Uvira has served as the interim capital of South Kivu after Bukavu fell to the rebels.

This article originally appeared on Shabelle.