Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) -  Immigration authorities from North Kivu province in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have deported 16 Rwandan nationals after they were arrested in the city of Goma without valid travel documents, an official source confirmed Sunday to PANA in Kigali.

According to Muisa Kense Timothée , Mayor of Goma, the Capital city of North Kivu province, some of those deported  were found engaging in activities that breached the terms and conditions of their stay , while others were not even in possession of their travel documents.

"We have been working together with our Rwandan counterparts during these operations and to deport those arrested back to Rwanda were prepared after verifying they were Rwandese citizens," Muisa said.

More recently cross-border movement between Rwanda and DR Congo has been identified as a significant risk to transmission  in the context of the outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. 

Currently  Two large, trans-frontier conurbations – Goma/Rubavu and Bukavu/Rusizi – sit to the north and south of Lake Kivu. Both are inhabited by over one million people, with the bulk of the urban population on the Congolese side of the border.

Considering the high degree of cross-border interaction that occurs in these cities, they are being treated as high priority sites for Ebola-related prevention and readiness interventions in the borderland, it said.

-0- PANA TWA/VAO 12Jan2020