SOS Médias Burundi

Uvira, July 24, 2025 – A total of 332 Burundian refugees, divided into 74 households, have been repatriated to Burundi in recent weeks by the National Commission for Refugees (CNR) in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This return took place via the Gatumba border crossing in western Burundi.

These refugees had been living for several years in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), hosted in the Mulongwe and Lusenda camps, as well as the Kavimvira transit site, all located in South Kivu province, eastern Congo.

A decision dictated by hunger and insecurity

For many, this choice to return is not motivated by an improvement in the political situation in Burundi, but by the dramatic deterioration of living conditions in the camps.

Marie N., a mother repatriated from Mulongwe, testifies :

« Hunger is killing us in the Mulongwe camp. That’s why I chose to return. »

In Kavimvira, the situation is even more worrying. Niyonkuru, another refugee, explains :

« It’s been almost a year since the World Food Program (WFP) last provided us with food. Our children spend their days begging in the town of Uvira. »

Adding to this is growing insecurity. Refugees attempting to cultivate land in Kahwizi or Kiliba report being attacked by armed groups.

« The Wazalendo militiamen attack us on the way to the cropfields, » Niyonkuru continues.

A blocked humanitarian corridor

This humanitarian crisis is compounded by logistical and security obstacles. Wazalendo armed groups, under the command of self-proclaimed General Makanaki Kasimbira John, recently blocked a crucial humanitarian corridor intended to transport 200 tons of food and medicine from Bukavu (capital of South Kivu) to Uvira.

This blockage compromises not only assistance to Burundian refugees, but also aid intended for the local Congolese population, themselves facing extreme poverty.

Recent repatriation and ongoing challenges

A few weeks earlier, on June 26, 2025, the Uvira National Refugee Agency (CNR) had already repatriated 48 Burundian refugees from 10 households via the same Gatumba border crossing. These refugees, mainly women and children, came from Uvira and its surrounding areas.

« The UNHCR has not provided us with assistance for several months. The insecurity there forced us to return, » explained a repatriated refugee.

The CNR reports that other refugees from the Mulongwe and Lusenda camps wish to return, but that transport conditions are complicated, particularly because the waters of Lake Tanganyika block the road between Uvira and Fizi.

Additional repatriation operations are planned by the end of July.

A humanitarian situation remains critical

Burundian refugees in the DRC have not received food aid for over six months. Since February, UNHCR staff have been unable to visit the Mulongwe, Lusenda, Kavimvira, and Sange camps, due to the departure of some staff to Kinshasa, Burundi, or Rwanda, a direct result of the insecurity.

The UNHCR plans to close its office in Baraka due to the highly unstable security situation in Fizi territory.

According to the latest estimates, more than 42,000 Burundian refugees are still living in the DRC, in precarious conditions and under the constant threat of armed violence.

It should be noted that on Thursday, July 24, 284 refugees from 64 families were repatriated upon their return.