"Thousands of people crossing the border on foot and by boats each day have overwhelmed local resources, creating a major humanitarian emergency that requires immediate global support, UNHCR said, noting that more than 200,000 people had now sought refuge in Burundi. Women and children are particularly affected, arriving exhausted and severely traumatised, bearing the physical and psychological marks of terrifying violence. Our teams met pregnant women, who shared that they had not eaten in days."
"The exodus began in early December when the M23 rebel group launched an assault that culminated in the capture of Uvira, a strategic city in the eastern DRC that is home to hundreds of thousands of people. Refugees started crossing into Burundi on December 5, with numbers surging after M23 seized control of Uvira on December 10. On Wednesday, M23 said it was withdrawing after international condemnation of its attack on the city."
More than 84,000 people fled eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to Burundi amid a Rwanda-backed M23 rebel offensive near the shared border. Thousands cross daily on foot and by boat, overwhelming local resources and creating a major humanitarian emergency; UNHCR reports over 200,000 have sought refuge in Burundi. Women and children, many under 18, arrive exhausted, severely traumatised, and bearing physical and psychological wounds; some pregnant women report not eating for days. Displaced families face makeshift camps and transit points with minimal infrastructure, lack adequate shelter, clean water, and proper sanitation, prompting urgent global humanitarian support.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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