with a large capacity, not yet matched by the Congolese facilities. Similarly, the road to the Petite Barrière is paved on the Rwandan side but not on the Congolese side. The Grande Barrière is paved on both sides and receives more of the heavy truck traffic. It is also a diplomatic border.

During the Rwandan genocide, the provisional government was based in the city. Gisenyi is the city where Laurent Nkunda