AFC/M23 Facilitates Return of More Than 500 Burundians Stranded in Uvira

Uvira, December 18, 2025 - The AFC/M23 coalition has facilitated the return of more than 500 Burundian nationals from Uvira territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after days during which they were unable to go home due to border closures and ongoing fighting.

The Burundians, many of whom had traveled to South Kivu Province in search of livelihood opportunities, found themselves stranded when the Burundian government closed the Kavimvira and Vugizo border crossings following the entry of AFC/M23 into Uvira on December 9.

Several returnees described days of fear and uncertainty.

“I was stuck here because of the fighting. Sometimes we had to hide. Some of our brothers stayed behind in the city of Uvira. I am happy to return safely,” one Burundian man said as he crossed through the Kavimvira border.

Another returnee, identified as Mugenzi, said many Burundian traders faced the same predicament.

“I am not the only Burundian businessman in this city. There were many of us with the same problem. Our parents were worried about our lives,” he said. “But we are not fleeing. We are returning home while waiting to see if it will be possible to come back.”

AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the decision to facilitate the return was taken after discussions with the Burundian authorities, stressing that the group had not closed the border on its side.

“These are our fellow Africans,” Kanyuka said. “Burundians worked and lived in the DRC, but now they want to return to their country. Our border is always open, but Burundi’s is closed. We asked them to open it for humanitarian reasons so that their citizens could go home.”

The operation underscores the humanitarian impact of the border closures, which have disrupted the lives of civilians on both sides of the frontier.

Thousands of Congolese Still Stranded in Burundi

While Burundians have been assisted to return home, the situation remains unresolved for Congolese refugees in Burundi. More than 20,000 Congolese reportedly fled into Burundi when AFC/M23 entered Uvira.

According to sources on the ground, those Congolese who wish to return to the DRC are still unable to do so, as the Burundian government has not reopened the border.

As the security situation in South Kivu continues to evolve, civilians remain caught between military developments and political decisions, with border closures increasingly shaping the humanitarian landscape of the region.