Despite escalating conflict in eastern DRC, traders in Rwanda and Uganda are reaping windfalls as rebel-controlled territories increasingly depend on them for essential supplies.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), especially the troubled east, has witnessed security tensions since the beginning of the year, yet amid the uncertainty that came with the change in administration and the entry of the rebel group M23, business continues.

Data from Kigali shows that Rwanda’s exports to the DRC soared in the first half of 2025, driven largely by demand from territories in the east.

The details emerged even as the insurgents continue to consolidate their hold over swathes of eastern Congo, and have turned to Kigali for essential supplies—ranging from construction materials to consumer goods—to meet the needs of the civilian population in North and South Kivu provinces.

According to the National Bank of Rwanda, exports to the DRC surged by 72.9 percent in the first half of the year, making it the primary contributor to a 30 percent overall increase in Rwanda’s exports to the East African region.

“Rwanda’s formal exports to the East African Community increased significantly by 30.4 percent, rising to $155.1 million in 2025H1 from $118.9 million in 2024H1.”This growth was largely driven by higher exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which rose by 72.9 percent, and to Uganda, which increased by 26.4 percent,” the central bank said.

Uganda itself has seen booming business with the eastern regions of Congo, with Bank of Uganda data showing that exports to the DRC surpassed the $1 billion mark, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of traders and transporters on both sides of the border.

New trade dynamics emerged as Uganda Airlines resumed flights to Congo’s capital and largest city, home to an estimated 17.8 million people.

Unable to operate in Goma and Bukavu due to insecurity and banking shutdowns ordered by the Congolese government in Kinshasa, many Congolese traders relocated their businesses to Kampala. This shift kept trade routes active and created alternative channels through which goods continued to flow westward.

According to BoU data, much of this recovery was driven by informal trade, facilitated by cross-border networks of traders who adapted swiftly to the crisis.

Rwanda increased shipments of locally produced goods, including construction materials like cement, steel products, processed foods, sanitary products, beverages to DRC, with reports showing that these products are almost entirely destined to M23-controlled parts.

All major Rwanda-DRC border crossings used for these exports—such as the Grande Barrière, Petite Barrière, and Rusizi 1 & 2—are under M23 rebel control, as well as Walikale, Rubaya, Nyamibwe and the entire Lake Kivu corridor.

This may explain the ease in the flow of these goods into the Kivus, as well as parts of Ituri. M23 have had easier political ties with Kigali than Kinshasa.

Furthermore, there being no significant overland or air trade routes from Rwanda that reach Kinshasa-controlled areas such as Lubumbashi, Kisangani and other areas without going through M23 zones.

The once lucrative Kigali-Kinshasa route operated by RwandAir, which had quickly turned into a business link between the two countries, was the first to be suspended by the DRC government after it concluded that Rwanda was backing M23 rebels, an accusation Kigali denies. Kinshasa further banned all Rwanda-registered aircraft from its airspace.

Cimerwa, Rwanda’s oldest cement maker — now owned by the Devki Group — was haemorrhaging money at the height of the war, especially after Goma and Bukavu fell to the rebels, as many of its major DRC customers fled, some were looted and trucks stolen, while construction works came to a standstill.

“We have managed to stabilise the DRC market once again, customers have returned,” Davis Twahirwa, head of sales and marketing at Cimerwa told The EastAfrican.“We are holding up to 90 percent of the cement market share as we speak. There is a lot of construction work going on in M23-controlled territories and with this came a lot of demand.”“In order to serve this demand we have dedicated the Bugarama factory in Rwanda to the DRC market due to the surge in demand and its proximity to Bukavu-we are using water transport to serve Bukavu,” Twahirwa added.

Ugandan traders, using different routes, have also re-penetrated the North and South Kivu markets, supplying goods ranging from foodstuffs, building materials, sanitary products, beverages, and machinery to other essential consumer goods the people need.

However, Goma airport and many commercial banks are still closed in the captured territories, posing a headache for traders.

The only functioning financial outfit, Cadeco, which the new administration hijacked is used for tax collection and other local financial transactions.

It was reopened on April 7, 2025 and currently handles deposits, withdrawals, and local transfers.

The AFC/M23 financial arm, Arefa (Agence de Régulation et de Financement de l’Afrique) oversees banking.

As of mid-October 2025, Arefa reported stabilising exchange rates and expecting “full monetary stability” by end of October.

The new rebel administration has outsourced a plethora of goods and services mostly from Rwanda, Uganda and beyond.

From police and prisoner uniforms, food, printing services as well as other goods and services needed for the proper functioning of their captured territories, and this has been a boon for Rwandan traders and those from other countries in the region.

The unrest in February rattled Uganda’s economy, costing the country trillions of shillings in lost revenue, jobs, and businesses. Trucks laden with merchandise destined for the DRC were stuck in Kampala for weeks, while others were held at Bunagana and other border posts.

Today, in Kampala’s central business district, Congolese buyers continue to place orders for refined vegetable oil, sugar, soap, plastic products, and steel, which are then consolidated and transported to Goma and Bukavu.“The situation in eastern DRC may be unstable, but trade has found its own way,” said Amon Muzoora, a Congolese cargo consolidator based at Usafi Market in Kampala. “Many Congolese businesses moved here to protect their money and keep supply lines open.”When Kinshasa ordered the closure of banks in rebel-controlled territories earlier this year, business operations across eastern DRC were paralysed. However, traders adapted by shifting their operations to Uganda, ensuring that cash flow—and trade—continued.

“Before the conflict, it took a day to fill a truck,” Muzoora explained. “Now, it can take up to a week, but goods are still moving.”To overcome security challenges, cargo operators rerouted shipments through safer corridors such as the Cyanika–Gisenyi–Goma route via Rwanda, considered the safest option, while older trucks were deployed along the more difficult Bunagana–Goma road.

Demand for Ugandan goods in the DRC remains strong. Uganda continues to export a diverse range of manufactured and agricultural products, fuel, electricity, animal and vegetable oils, consumer goods, and processed foods.

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