Congolese claim better, safer life in Rwanda

Asmall but remarkable new migration is taking place in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as well- heeled Congolese up sticks to live in Rwandan towns lying just across the border.

Gisenyi and Kamembe, on the northern and southern tips of Lake Kivu respectively, are seen as more stable, more secure and with a better standard of living than their sprawling, troubled Congolese neighbours, the cities of Goma and Bukavu.

“In 2013 I received threats in Goma. I was evacuated to Gisenyi. I went back to Goma a year later. I was still worried for my safety. Three friends in my district were killed,” said Jacques Kahora, a humanitarian worker who settled permanently in Gisenyi in 2016.

Adrien, a 28- year- old employee with an NGO, has been renting a house in Gisenyi for $ 80 ( Dh293) a month for almost a year, roughly half of what he would pay in his hometown of Goma.

Each day he nips back across the border to Goma, a matter of a few kilometres, to work and see family and friends.

Basic necessities

“I mainly do it for access to certain basic things, like water and electricity. In Gisenyi, there are hardly any power cuts, but in Goma they happen daily — sometimes you can go a whole week without electricity,” said Adrien.

Rwanda also offers a highperformance wifi service, which is used by residents of Goma and Bukavu whenever Congolese authorities cut internet access as part of a crackdown on anti- government protests.

Like Adrien, most of the Congolese nationals still work in Goma or Bukavu and only spend the night in Rwanda.

“Here all we bring is sleep,” says Leston Kambale, 38, who moved to Gisenyi eight years ago and has put his three children into

Rwandan schools.

“As an IT specialist, I needed electricity 24 hours a day. And there’s also the question of safety. Here in Gisenyi, you can walk around from dusk to dawn without a problem,” he added.