SOS Médias Burundi

Giharo, April 13, 2025 — Heavy rain fell this Sunday morning on the Musenyi refugee site, in the commune of Giharo (Rutana province, southeastern Burundi), causing significant material damage. While no loss of life was reported, several hundred Congolese refugee families saw their makeshift shelters flooded and their belongings swept away.

According to testimonies collected by SOS Médias Burundi, seven neighborhoods of the site were particularly hard hit. Many homes made of tarpaulins and lightweight materials were unable to withstand the weather.

« The rain started falling very heavily in the morning. As it intensified, the water began to invade our house. We had to rush out with the children,” says Nadine, a mother of three.

Mattresses, sleeping mats, kitchen utensils, and clothing were swept away by the runoff. Jean-Claude M., another disaster victim, laments:

“All the equipment we were given was washed away. Our toilets collapsed. Even our clothes disappeared into the water.”

An urgent plea for help

The distress is palpable within the community. Arielle, a refugee who recently arrived from eastern DRC, speaks bitterly:

“We fled the war at home, and now we risk dying here, from hunger and disasters.”

Faced with this situation, the refugees are urgently appealing to the UNHCR and its humanitarian partners for emergency assistance: rehousing, distribution of tarpaulins, food, clothing, and hygiene products.

A site already saturated

The Musenyi site, which hosts Congolese refugees transferred from various transit centers, is already overcrowded, according to several sources. Some of the new arrivals have not yet been adequately housed due to lack of space.

No official response has yet been given by local authorities or humanitarian agencies present on the ground at the time of publication of this article.

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Two young boys in front of a shelter in a flooded neighborhood in the Musenyi site in southeastern Burundi, April 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)