Derniers articles

Burundi : increased restrictions that suffocate refugees

Faced with growing security tensions, the Burundian government is imposing new drastic measures on refugees. These restrictions, which limit their freedom of movement and complicate their access to essential resources, are causing deep concern.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The Burundian government has strengthened restrictions imposed on refugees, drastically limiting their freedom of movement. Among the measures announced, a strict curfew requiring all refugees to return to their camp before 6 p.m. and a formal ban on any exit without special authorization, which is rarely granted.

These new restrictions are causing great concern within refugee communities, especially as arrests are increasing against those who try to move outside the camps. Authorities justify these measures by the volatile security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in the Kivu provinces, a region bordering Burundi, where armed conflicts persist.

Increasingly precarious living conditions

During a recent meeting between the police, the camp administration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and refugees’ representatives, these new measures were made official.

Beyond freedom of movement, it is the very survival of the refugees that is being put to the test. Until now, many of them managed to meet their needs by going to nearby markets to sell or buy essential products.

Congolese refugees in a communal kitchen at the Kinama camp in northeastern Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)

Refugees from Bwagiriza in Ruyigi province in the east go to Ruyigi town, those from Nyankanda to Kayongozi, still in Ruyigi, those from Kavumu in the neighboring province of Cankuzo, to Cankuzo town, those from Musasa in Ngozi province (north), to Ngozi town and those from Kinama in Muyinga province (north-east), in the town center of this province also. These small exchanges were a lifeline for these already fragile populations.

Pierre, a refugee from Bwagiriza camp, expresses his despair : « We understand the security concerns, but this must not be to the detriment of our survival. We need to go out to get the essentials. »

Gabriel, a refugee from Kinama camp, recounts his experience : « I was arrested last week because I was outside the camp after 6 p.m. I am accused of threatening security, while all I am trying to do is survive. »

A compromised education

Refugees expelled from urban centers to camps also have to face a major obstacle : the change in the education system for their children.

Those who were integrated into Burundian schools must now adapt to the school curriculum in the camps, which is generally Congolese. This forced transition creates deep inequalities and weighs on the education of young refugees.

Didier, a father who was expelled, testifies : « My son was well integrated into a Burundian school. Now he has to start all over again. It affects his morale and motivation. »

While children who remained in the camps continue their school year in the second quarter, those who have just been transferred must readjust to a new system, further complicating their learning.

An increasingly tense situation

Despite these increasing restrictions, Burundi continues to welcome refugees fleeing the war in the DRC. While security is a legitimate concern, these new restrictions are plunging refugees into increasing distress, between confinement, economic hardship and uncertainty about the future of their children.

——

New Congolese refugees welcomed in Cibitoke province in northwestern Burundi, February 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)