UNHCR / DRC DISPLACED BURUNDI

Thousands arrive in Burundi, fleeing rising tension and violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as conflict spreads across the country’s South and North Kivu provinces. UNHCR

• Video Length: 00:03:04
• Production Date: 19 February 2025
• Asset Language: Kiswahili
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGUEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: BURUNDI; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: 3340585
• Parent Id: 3340585
• Alternate Title: unifeed250219d

Description

STORY: UNHCR / DRC DISPLACED BURUNDI
TRT: 3:04
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: SWAHILI / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 18 FEBRUARY 2025, RUGOMBO, CIBITOKE PROVINCE, BURUNDI

Shotlist

1. Various shots, displaced Congolese crossing Rusizi River on a boat to get to Burundi
2. Various shots, displaced families getting off boat
3. Med shot, women and children carrying their belongings
4. Various shots, displaced families camping at a stadium
5. Various shots, families seated next to belongings
6. Med shot, man connecting water hosepipe
7. Med shot, women and children collecting water
8. Wide shot, people in site hosting displaced families
9. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Timiza, Displaced Congolese:
“We fled fighting, we heard gunshots were all over and decided to leave. Some of the children got lost in the process, we got separated from them. God helped us, we found people who helped us cross the river and reach the camp.”
10. Wide shot, pots of food cooking/ people at camp
11. Close up, family sheltering under temporary structure
12. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Timiza, Displaced Congolese:
“We are asking for food so we have something to eat, blankets to cover ourselves. The other day it rained on us here. I have not eaten anything since morning, there is no food, a good Samaritan just gave this flour that I’m using to cook.”
13. Various shots, displaced families
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie Loise Kabre Barreto, Deputy Representative, UNHCR Burundi:
“Almost 18,000 people are here. Most of them are children and women, a lot of children, we need help, we need the assistance of the whole community here. I’m very pleased to say that some associations, local associations, are doing their best to provide hot meals and so on to the population, but it’s not enough. We need more and we need the support of the international community, to support the population and support the government of Burundi.”
15. Various shots, Barreto and colleagues meeting families arriving by boat.

Storyline

Thousands arrive in Burundi, fleeing rising tension and violence in eastern DR Congo, as conflict spreads across the country’s South and North Kivu provinces.

Over 10,000 people have crossed into Burundi over the last few days, fleeing escalating tension and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Most of those arriving are Congolese, mainly from the Bukavu area in South Kivu province, where the situation continues to deteriorate. A smaller number of Burundian nationals have also returned to their country fleeing clashes.

People are mainly arriving at the Gatumba border post close to the capital Bujumbura, exhausted and traumatized, many separated from their families with little information on their whereabouts.

Teams from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners are present to ensure people arriving in search of safety receive the support they need as they await registration and further reception procedures.

Thousands are also arriving through unofficial border points including along the Rusizi River near Rugombo, with reports of several individuals drowning. Conditions in the communities near the border are extremely dire, with a lack of shelter, water and sanitation facilities. In one location, an additional 10,400 people are currently sheltering in schools and a local stadium on the DRC side as they wait to be relocated to safer settlements further inland.

National authorities in Burundi, with UNHCR support, are verifying and screening new arrivals to identify those in need of international protection and informing new arrivals on available services.

Once registered, refugees are relocated to transit centres, where UNHCR and its partners are providing life-saving supplies including food, clean drinking water and essential health services.

However, overcrowding in transit centres, with some currently hosting up to four times their initial capacity, is becoming a major concern as resources continue to be stretched, heightening tensions among the arrivals.
In collaboration with the Government of Burundi, UNHCR and partners are working to ensure that refugees can access the assistance and protection they need. While we are making every effort to respond to this emergency, there is an urgent need for additional resources to meet growing needs.

The situation in the eastern DRC remains challenging, with recent clashes in South Kivu forcing more than 150,000 people to flee.

Aside from Burundi, the number of people fleeing DRC across borders since the start of the recent escalation of conflict has remained relatively low. However, UNHCR teams in neighbouring countries are preparing to assist as needed.

The new influx joins the 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers Burundi currently hosts, mainly from the DRC, many of whom have been in the country for decades.

UNHCR is grateful for the generosity extended to those fleeing the latest clashes in the DRC and urges this solidarity to continue.