Thousands of DR Congo refugees struggle in overcrowded Burundi camp

By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies

Tens of thousands of Congolese refugees are enduring dire conditions at Burundi’s Busuma camp after fleeing renewed fighting in eastern DRC, with many lacking food, shelter, and information about separated family members.

Esperance Sakina Hatari arrived in December 2025 from South Kivu’s Mutarule village. “We left with nothing.

We came with our children, that’s all,” she told reporters. “Some of us have no food, no shelter and no blankets. We sleep on the ground, and the children are dying of cold and hunger.”

Her husband remains in Congo—one of countless families separated during the violence.

Humanitarian response

The International Committee of the Red Cross is helping refugees reconnect with relatives through phone calls and connectivity services.

But Noemie Niyongere of ICRC acknowledges severe gaps: “People receive very little compared to what they need.

Around two-thirds of people don’t have shelter.” Heavy rains frequently soak through flimsy plastic sheeting, while clean water remains scarce.

Regional crisis deepens

According to the HoRN Institute, over 500,000 people have been displaced and nearly 3,000 killed since M23 rebels captured Goma and Bukavu.

More than 65,000 now shelter at Busuma, where funding shortages leave humanitarian needs largely unmet.