By Sello Lentsoane, NNA News | Goma, DR Congo

Rwanda closed key border crossings with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday after health authorities confirmed that the latest Ebola outbreak had reached Goma, a densely populated eastern Congolese city bordering Rwanda.

The closure followed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to declare the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda an international public health emergency, amid growing concerns over regional spread.

Cross-border movement between Goma and Rwanda’s Rubavu-Gisenyi area was largely suspended on Sunday morning, paralysing activity along one of the busiest border crossings in the region.

Officials in Rwanda said the measure was introduced to limit the risk of transmission as authorities intensify containment efforts.

This photo taken on May 17, 2026, shows a view of the downtown area in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Str/NNA News)

Prosper Mulindwa, mayor of Rubavu District in Rwanda’s Western Province, said the restrictions would remain in place indefinitely while health authorities assess the situation.

“The borders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed in response to the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging with our residents to explain why this decision was made,” Mulindwa told local media.

According to diplomatic sources, only Congolese and Rwandan nationals returning to their respective countries are currently permitted to cross the border, while most other movements remain suspended pending further guidance.

The WHO, however, said countries should avoid imposing restrictions on travel and trade despite the outbreak.

Health authorities in the DRC confirmed that a laboratory-tested Ebola case had been identified in Goma, a city of more than one million people currently under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.

Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, said the patient was the wife of a man who died from Ebola in Bunia, the epicentre of the current outbreak in Ituri Province.

According to Muyembe, the woman travelled to Goma while already infected.

A local resident rides a bicycle in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 17, 2026. (Str/NNA News)

The M23 rebel group said the patient had been isolated and that contact tracing operations were underway to identify individuals who may have been exposed to the virus.

The case in Goma follows another confirmed infection reported in Beni, also in North Kivu province, involving a patient who had travelled from Bunia.

The DRC government officially declared the latest outbreak on Friday, marking the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976.

According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), at least 336 suspected and confirmed cases and 87 deaths have been recorded so far.

Health officials say the outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved strain-specific vaccine.

Local vendors sell food and household goods in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on May 17, 2026. (Str/NNA News)

Regional concern has intensified after Uganda confirmed imported Ebola cases linked to travel from the DRC.

The WHO said neighbouring countries remain at high risk because of cross-border mobility, trade routes and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the scale of the outbreak.

The latest developments have renewed pressure on regional health systems already dealing with conflict, displacement and limited medical infrastructure across eastern DRC and parts of Central and East Africa.