Muyinga-Ngozi : urban Congolese refugees expelled

In Muyinga in northeast Burundi, a hundred refugees from camps of Musasa in the province of Ngozi (north) and Kinama in the province of Muyinga, were expelled last Friday to return to their respective camps. Other refugees whose number has not yet been determined, were expelled from the city of Ngozi. Most of those expelled are made up of refugees-members of the Banyamulenge Community.
INFO SOS Médias Burundi
This decision was justified by concerns about the security of refugees, especially in the run-up to elections in Burundi, as well as by growing tensions in the Great Lakes region of Africa, exacerbated by the conflict in eastern Congo where Burundian soldiers are intervening alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) in the fighting against the M23, an armed group accused of receiving support from Rwanda.
Burundian authorities fear that the situation could degenerate into a regional conflict. Refugees, who had been allowed to reside in Muyinga for various reasons, now find themselves in a precarious situation. Some of them had left the camp to allow their children to attend Burundian schools.
Claude, a father of four children who attend a private school in the region, explains : « I left the camp to offer my four children access to quality education. In Muyinga, my children have integrated into the Burundian education system and have already completed the first term. Returning to the camp means for me that my children have to abandon their current studies. The Congolese education system, in which they must now enroll, is already well into the school year. My children had started to flourish here.” He says his little ones had friends and teachers who cared about them.
“Now I fear they will be lost in a new system where they will not be able to keep up with the lessons.” Claude is devastated by the prospect of his children losing a year of schooling and wonders how he will be able to help them catch up.
Other refugees were staying in Muyinga to set up small businesses to support their families. Jeannette says, “In Muyinga, I had managed to set up a small food business that allowed me to support my family. The expulsion has had disastrous consequences for me. I had built a life here.” Her business was her only source of income.
“And now, all that is lost. By returning to the camp, I find myself facing economic uncertainty. It is a return to total precarity.” Jeannette expresses her fear of having to rely on humanitarian aid, which is often insufficient to meet her family’s basic needs.
Other refugees had also settled in the Muyinga center to benefit from accessible medical care. Stephane, who had left his country due to a chronic illness requiring regular care, says, “In Muyinga, I had access to adequate treatment and medical monitoring.
Returning to the camp represents an increased risk to my health. I had found doctors who understood my condition and helped me manage my illness.” Now I don’t know if I will be able to continue my treatment.” Conditions in the camp are precarious and access to medical care is limited. Stephane fears that his health will deteriorate without the proper care he used to receive. “I am terrified of what this means for me and my family,” he concludes.

Congolese refugees at a water well in northeastern Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)
SOS Médias Burundi has learned that several other Congolese refugees based in the urban center of Ngozi were also expelled from the city last week.
The return of refugees to the sites has had repercussions on their daily lives. Those who had established businesses are forced to suspend their activities, losing their source of income. Children, who had found a stable school environment, now find themselves facing uncertainty about their education. In addition, those who were staying with Burundians have had to give up their guarantee money and, upon their return to the camp, some are worried that their accommodation has been allocated to others.
It should be noted that refugees in Burundi live in five camps notably Nyankanda, Bwagiriza, Kavumu, Musasa and Kinama, in the provinces of Muyinga and Ngozi, Cankuzo and Ruyigi in the east, as well as on the Giharo site in the province of Rutana in the southeast.
Other refugees live in urban areas, particularly in Bujumbura, the commerce capital, and in Rumonge in the southwest. However, some leave the camps to live in the city centers of the interior of the country for various reasons.
According to witnesses, the majority of those expelled are made up of refugees who are members of the Banyamulenge community. In Burundi, the Banyamulenge are often assimilated to Rwandans, just as in Congo, where a certain opinion considers them as « foreigners who have migrated to our country ».
Burundi currently has more than 86,000 Congolese refugees. They are made primarily of Banyamulenge, who originate from the South Kivu province in eastern Congo, which borders the small East African nation.
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Congolese refugees at the Musasa camp in northern Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)