Thousands of Congolese refugees are arriving in Burundi fleeing violence between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in South Kivu. The influx has created dire conditions at reception sites, with shortages of basic necessities like water, shelter, and sanitation.
Congolese Refugee Crisis in Burundi
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed control of the city of Uvira on Wednesday. New reception sites, including the Kansega transit site in Ndava zone, Bujumbura province, have been established near the border with the DRC to manage the growing number of arrivals.
Living conditions at these sites are severely lacking. Refugees report having no access to water, toilets, or adequate shelter. Many have lost all possessions and endured hardship reaching Burundi.
“Getting here was difficult. We went through heavy shelling and bullets, and I personally lost my younger brother who was killed by a bomb,” said 32-year-old Fidèle Edimbe, a father of three originally from Uvira. “That’s when we realized how bad things had become, and we decided to cross the Rusizi River to reach this place,” he added.
Between December 5th and 11th, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) recorded 40,000 new arrivals of Congolese people in Burundi. These refugees are currently spread across three transit sites: Kansega, Cishemere, and Gatumba.
UNHCR representative Brigitte Mukanga-Engo visited Kansega on December 11th and confirmed the desperate conditions and severe resource shortages, calling for urgent mobilization of aid. She is working with Burundian immigration services and ONPRA, the government agency in charge of refugees.
“There is also the Directorate of Repatriation, because among the people crossing, a significant number are Burundians — Burundians who had been refugees in Congo and are now returning because of this crisis,” Mukanga-Engo stated.
UNHCR has announced plans to open a new refugee camp in Bweru, eastern Burundi, to accommodate the increasing number of arrivals. As of this summer, Burundi was already hosting more than 71,000 Congolese refugees, including approximately 18,000 in the Musenyi camp.
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