Burundi: Congolese Refugees Seeking to Return Home Allegedly Beaten and Killed

Gatumba/Bujumbura - December 21, 2025

The AFC/M23 coalition, which is fighting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government, has accused Burundian security forces of beating and killing Congolese refugees attempting to return home from Burundi, as a severe humanitarian crisis continues to unfold along the border.

The allegations come as the Burundian government says it can no longer adequately care for the growing influx of refugees fleeing violence in eastern DRC, particularly from Uvira, Katogota, Sange, Kiliba, Luvungi, and Kamanyola. Authorities have appealed to international partners for urgent assistance, estimating a funding shortfall of 33 million US dollars.

Refugees describe extremely harsh living conditions in Burundi, marked by acute food shortages, high prices, and poor sanitation.

One refugee, Ajax Ramadhani, described the situation as increasingly unbearable, citing the sharp rise in food prices and the lack of income opportunities for displaced people.

“We did not come here because we were happy, but because we had no choice. Life here is very difficult, and people assume refugees have money, which is not true,” he said.

At the Gatumba makeshift camp, near the DRC border, refugees are reportedly dying from hunger and cholera, a disease linked to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.

The Deputy Mayor of Uvira, Kifara Kapenda, recently warned that the situation is worsening rapidly, stating that more than 40 refugees have died within 10 days due to cholera and starvation, including eight deaths recorded on December 18 alone.

On December 20, AFC/M23 announced that it had facilitated the return of more than 1,000 Burundian nationals living in the DRC during the current insecurity, but said Congolese refugees were not being allowed to return home.

According to AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, several Congolese refugees attempted to return multiple times but were prevented from crossing the border. Some were reportedly slated for transfer to camps farther from the frontier.

On December 21, Bertrand Bisimwa, AFC/M23’s Deputy Director for Political, Governance and Diplomatic Affairs, said the movement had received numerous testimonies alleging that refugees trying to leave the Gatumba camp were beaten, detained, or killed by Burundian forces.

In a message circulated on social platforms, a woman speaking in Swahili is heard describing repeated abuse against refugees attempting to return home.

“Each time we try to leave, we are beaten and forced back. Some people have died, others are imprisoned here in Gatumba. Please speak for us so we can return to Congo,” she said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that between December 5 and 21, 2025, 94,808 Congolese refugees crossed into Burundi through Buganda, Gatumba, and Rumonge, underscoring the scale of displacement caused by ongoing fighting in eastern DRC.