Boat Traffic Between Goma and Bukavu Resumed  

(3 Minutes Read)

The Rwanda-backed group has captured the two key cities in Congo’s mineral-rich east in less than a month after a major escalation in their years-long fight against overstretched and weakened Congolese forces. The rebels first took Goma last month before marching to Bukavu.

Boat traffic between Goma and Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo resumed recently (on Tuesday) after several days of suspension due to fighting between the army and M23 rebels.

The Rwanda-backed group has captured the two key cities in Congo’s mineral-rich east in less than a month after a major escalation in their years-long fight against overstretched and weakened Congolese forces. The rebels first took Goma last month before marching to Bukavu.

With roads in much of eastern DRC in poor condition, the small boats and ferries that crisscross Lake Kivu have long served as the main means of transportation for people and cargo in the region.

In addition to transporting people, the boats carry traders’ goods, especially food, for sale in South Kivu, which, like North Kivu, is occupied by the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.