Desperate Conditions for Thousands of Congolese Refugees in Burundi

Wed Dec 24 2025 06:06:09 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Recent violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has led to a mass exodus of refugees into Burundi, plunging many into dire humanitarian conditions, according to aid agencies.

Nearly 90,000 refugees fleeing escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have found themselves in cramped camps in Burundi, facing critical shortages of food and clean water. Medical charity MSF and the UN’s refugee agency have voiced concerns over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, especially for vulnerable populations like women and children. The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands since the M23 rebels' advance, complicating aid efforts amidst ongoing threats of epidemic diseases.

The nearly 90,000 refugees who fled to Burundi after the recent escalation of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo face dire conditions in cramped camps with limited access to food and water, aid agencies say.

Congolese M23 rebels recently captured the city of Uvira, near the Burundi border, and the fighting forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The rebels say they have since withdrawn.

Medical charity MSF, which has been providing emergency help, has raised concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation.

The UN's refugee agency, UNCHR, reported those especially affected are children and women, including pregnant women - some who reported going without food for days.

MSF said it has been treating an average of 200 people daily since the refugees began arriving in Burundi over the last two weeks.

We see people in a state of distress, despair and exhaustion. We see women who gave birth while fleeing, some that give birth in our clinic, said Zakari Moluh, the MSF project coordinator describing the situation in Ndava, northwest Burundi.

The charity has warned of the risk of the spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera and measles, and a catastrophic increase of malaria cases among vulnerable populations.

Meanwhile, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is increasing its life-saving aid to over 210,000 of the most vulnerable displaced people due to the violence in DR Congo. They note that about half a million people have been forced from their homes in South Kivu province since the beginning of December.

The WFP is supporting 71,000 new Congolese arrivals in Burundi with hot meals in transit centers.

The WFP stated that services across the province are on the brink of collapse, with health centers looted, medicines unavailable, and schools closed. They have called for urgent funding to continue providing food aid over the next three months.

The capture of Uvira earlier this month extended the M23's territorial gains after capturing major cities like Goma and Bukavu.

The rebels said they would pull out of Uvira last week under pressure from the U.S., but their reported withdrawal has been disputed by Congolese authorities.

The U.S. brokered a peace deal between the Congolese and Rwandan governments to end the long-running conflict in DR Congo, with accusations against Rwanda for backing the M23 rebels, which it denies.

While the M23 rebels were not signatories to that peace deal, they have participated in a parallel peace process led by Qatar, a U.S. ally with strong ties to Rwanda.