Ebola border shutdown leaves goods rotting between Uganda and DR Congo
An Al Jazeera video report from the Bunia corridor shows trucks idling at the closed Uganda-DR Congo border as the Ebola outbreak halts cross-border trade. Food and medical shipments are spoiling, and thousands of households dependent on the route warn that incomes could vanish within two weeks.
An Al Jazeera video report from the Bunia and Kasese crossings documents how the partial closure of borders between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the Ebola outbreak is paralysing trade. Truck queues stretch for 20 kilometres while perishable bananas, maize and dairy products approach the end of their shelf life.
Uganda's health ministry says the closure is necessary to protect public health, while the DRC argues that the economic impact requires faster regional coordination. The WHO and Africa CDC report that half of a 500 million dollar emergency appeal for the outbreak, which has reached around 500 confirmed cases, is now funded.
Thousands of small producers and transporters say their incomes could be exhausted within two weeks. In the coming weeks, the WHO's outbreak-spread map, East African Community talks and the possible partial reopening of crossings will be decisive. This is not medical advice.
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