The United Nations says Burundi is experiencing its largest refugee wave in 25 years, with thousands fleeing the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the Burundian government, around 10,000 people have crossed to the country’s western border to escape the escalating violence by February 17. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that around 30,000 have arrived in recent weeks, with thousands more arriving every day.
The surge in displacement follows significant territorial gains by the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC. The armed group has captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu, raising alarms in the UN Security Council and raising fears of a wider regional conflict. The UN has warned that M23 forces are continuing to advance towards key strategic locations in North and South Kivu.
Brigitte Mukanga-Eno, UNHCR’s representative in Burundi, described the situation as the country’s most significant refugee crisis since the early 2000s. “We are witnessing a huge movement of people fleeing for their lives,” she told a news conference in Bujumbura.
Many refugees described fleeing amidst intense gunfire. Kitenge, a 25-year-old taxi driver, described how he and his family fled before the M23 forces arrived. “The armed groups started shooting in all directions; we had no choice but to flee,” he said. Another refugee, Amissi, a teacher from Kamanyola, near the Burundi border, said he and others were housed in a stadium and were not allowed to leave to buy supplies.
Burundi’s Interior Minister Martin Niteretse announced plans to relocate the refugees to eastern Burundi to ensure their safety. He confirmed that they would be granted refugee status.
Meanwhile, there are reports that around 500 Congolese soldiers and police have crossed into Burundi, where they are being disarmed and searched.
Bintou Keita, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), said M23 rebels were approaching the three-border area where the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi meet. UN special envoy Huang Xia warned the Security Council that the risk of a wider regional conflict was “more real than ever”.