Burundi is grappling with a significant influx of refugees fleeing the escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 42,000 individuals seeking asylum in just two weeks. The UNHCR is addressing the crisis by preparing for a potential arrival of 58,000 more refugees. Most of those fleeing are from South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are gaining control of key territories. Refugees express dire needs for food, water, and shelter while fearing for their future stability, with the situation in the DRC worsening every day.
Just in the first two weeks, we have received 42,000 people already seeking asylum. The agency has been working with a contingency plan targeting about 58,000 people who could cross over three months.
We have neither food nor water. We do not even have wells to draw water. May the Burundian government help us because we are really afraid to go home.
Since we have families here, they should allow us to live with our families until the war is over and see how we can get home.
The unchecked advance of the Rwandan-backed M23 is stoking fears of a regional conflagration.
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