SOS Médias Burundi

Nairobi, June 19, 2025 – On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, celebrated every June 20, SOS Médias Burundi focused on the refugee situation in eight countries in East and Southern Africa. Instead of the usual ceremonies, this 2025 edition is taking place in a climate of serious humanitarian crisis, marked by famine, insecurity, the collapse of basic social services, and a worrying disengagement from the international community.

Burundi : more than 90,000 refugees abandoned in precarious conditions

With more than 90,000 refugees, mostly Congolese, Burundi is struggling to meet basic needs in its camps in Nyankanda, Bwagiriza, Kavumu, Musasa, Kinama, and the Musenyi reception site. The 50% reduction in food aid by the WFP (World Food Program) is plunging families into hunger.

Children in a nursery school in the Kavumu refugee camp in eastern Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)

« I have to share a single meal a day between my children. I make do with hot water, » says Marie, a Congolese refugee.

Health care is in ruins, hospital transfers have been suspended. Schools are overcrowded and underequipped. Shelter is critical, especially for new arrivals.

« I sleep under a tarpaulin with my children. It’s raining, it’s cold, and we often get sick, » laments Chantal, who arrived in March 2025.

Interior Minister Martin Niteretse has launched an emergency program, calling on partners for help. The UNHCR estimates that $76.5 million is needed. But on the ground, despair reigns.

DRC : Burundian refugees starve and forgotten in South Kivu

In Lusenda, Mulongwe, Kavimvira, and Sange, more than 42,000 Burundian refugees have not received any food aid since December 2024.

Refugee women from the Mulongwe camp in the DRC prepare food in the open air (©️ SOS Médias Burundi)

« Some children suffer from malnutrition. Others beg to survive, » says Jeanne N., a refugee in Mulongwe.

Some adults turn to odd jobs or armed groups like the Wazalendo militias to feed their families. The World Refugee Day will not be celebrated : hunger has taken over.

Tanzania : disguised forced repatriation and massive rights violations

In Nduta and Nyarugusu, Burundian refugees live under the threat of forced repatriation. The « pre-selection interview » process arouses mistrust and fear.

Burundian refugees in a meeting with the director in charge of refugees in Kigoma, April 9, 2024 in Nyarugusu (SOS Médias Burundi)

« It’s a theater. » « They just want to get rid of us, » denounces a refugee.

Mandatory forced labor, punitive demolitions, closures of health and educational facilities, movement restrictions, and 75% food cuts : refugees denounce a powerless and complicit UNHCR.

« The Burundian side is an open-air prison, » say refugees in Nyarugusu, where more than 110,000 people live.

The Nyarugusu camp is divided into two distinct zones : one reserved for Congolese refugees, the other for Burundian refugees.

Rwanda : Mahama overflowing, aid collapsing

The Mahama camp is home to more than 76,000 refugees, including 40,000 Burundians. The massive influx of Congolese is complicating the situation. Since April, the WFP has drastically reduced its monetary assistance.

« Even with the old amount, we were hungry. » « Today, it’s worse, » says a refugee.

The health system is at its limit, hospital transfers suspended. Crime is exploding. Children come to schools only to eat.

A gathering of refugees in the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda, near the Akagera River (SOS Médias Burundi)

« It’s no longer a school, it’s a survival canteen, » summarizes an educator.

Kenya : insecurity kills in Kakuma

In the Kakuma camp (more than 200,000 refugees, including 25,000 Burundians), armed attacks are increasing. Three deaths and numerous injuries have been recorded since April.

« Armed South Sudanese are sowing terror. The police are doing nothing, » accuse community leaders.

Tensions are rising around water, with frequent conflicts in Kalobeyei, an extension of Kakuma. Burundian refugees say they are marginalized, excluded from water distribution and healthcare.

Uganda : in Nakivale, forced self-reliance in the face of abandonment

Nakivale is home to 150,000 refugees, including 33,000 Burundians. Ration cuts and the closure of schools and health centers are forcing refugees to become self-reliant.

« It’s a feast for the well-fed. We survive in poverty, » refugees say about June 20.

Albinos are living in fear after the disappearance of a Burundian albino mother and her two children in early May. Leaders are calling for urgent protection.

Malawi : Dzaleka, plagued by discrimination

In Dzaleka (more than 50,000 refugees, including 11,000 Burundians), healthcare is discriminatory.

« Malawians are being treated, not us, » the refugees complain.

Robberies, murders, and kidnappings are on the rise. Civilian guards have stopped their night patrols due to lack of pay for the past six months. On June 17, a Congolese refugee was found with his throat slit at his home.

Zambia : in Meheba, survival comes at a high price

In the Meheba camp (27,000 refugees, including 3,000 Burundians), rising food prices and the end of aid are forcing refugees to seek their fortune in the city, risking arrest or fines. The new arrivals have been living for over a year in a transit center without shelter along Route 36.

Refugees in front of a health facility in Meheba, Zambia (SOS Médias Burundi)

« They sleep in the open, without care or assistance, » warns a refugees’ representative.

A shared uncertain future

From Tanzania to Zambia, via Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, the DRC, Kenya, and Malawi, the stories converge : insecurity, famine, violations of fundamental rights, and a lack of prospects.

Refugees, forgotten by international agendas, are demanding that this 2025 World Refugee Day mark a true awakening.

They call on the UNHCR, host governments, and the international community to honor their commitments. So that the 1951 Geneva Convention is not an empty text, but a real shield against indignity.