Uganda Closes 500-Mile Congo Border After New Ebola Outbreak
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 26
Uganda Closes 500-Mile Congo Border After New Ebola Outbreak
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 26
Summary
Uganda shut its more than 500-mile border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, days after the World Health Organization declared a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo.
At the Lamia river crossing near Bundibugyo, a rope across a bridge and a lone soldier now enforce the closure that halted routine movement of farmers, traders and schoolchildren.
The shutdown cut off Ugandans who farm cheaper land in Congo and Congolese families who relied on Ugandan schools and cross-border food trade.
Bundibugyo, a western Ugandan town that battled Ebola 20 years ago, is again on the front line as authorities try to keep the new outbreak from spilling across the border.