UNHCR / DRC BURUNDI DISPLACED

Aid efforts in Burundi buckling as more Congolese arrive in country’s largest influx in decades. UNHCR

• Video Length: 00:07:03
• Production Date: 7 March 2025
• Asset Language: Kiswahili; French
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGUEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: DISPLACED PERSONS; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO; BURUNDI
• MAMS Id: 3347202
• Parent Id: 3347202
• Alternate Title: unifeed250307f

Description

STORY: UNHCR / DRC BURUNDI DISPLACED
TRT:7:03
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: SWAHILI / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: 05 MARCH 2025, RUGOMBO, CIBITOKE PROVINCE, BURUNDI

Shotlist

1.Wide shot, tents at Rugombo stadium, housing Congolese refugees
2. Wide shot, waiting in registration queue
3. Close up, children in queue
4. Close up, girl in queue looking on
5. Med shot, women talking/ Refugees in queue
6. Med shot, children and women passing near temporary shelter
7. Various shots, elderly woman preparing vegetables
8. Med shot, woman standing near shelter
9. Various shots, refugees in stadium
10. Various shots, Sikujua Bisimura, Congolese refugee walking through site
11. Med shot, Sikujua and her children using phone to watch video of moment when her home area was attacked
12. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Sikujua Bisimura, Congolese refugee:
“It was Friday, February 13th, there was gunfire at around 10 in the night. The next day, at around 10 or 11am, we fled through the Ruzizi border and arrived here at Rugombo on February 14th.”
13. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Sikujua Bisimura, Congolese refugee:
“We heard that it's overcrowded here at this site, we are too many, so there is a program to move people who volunteer to relocate, to the refugee camps. I am one of those who is ready to relocate to the camp.”
14. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Sikujua Bisimura, Congolese refugee:
“I don't know what to feel, I fled here during previous conflicts. Now I am here for the second time. There is no peace. We are asking God to answer the prayers of the Congolese people so that there is peace and we can go back home.”
15. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Sikujua Bisimura, Congolese refugee:
“Life here is difficult, we are not used to living like this. We had homes in Kamanyola but here we sleep in tents. We used to work in farms, but here there's nothing to do. That's why, if the war ends, we will go back home.”
16. Various shots, people waiting to register
17. Various shots, UNHCR staff working at registration desk
18. SOUNDBITE (French) Aline Irakarama, Associate Reporting Officer, UNHCR, Burundi:
“We are here at the Rugombo stadium where thousands of refugee families have found refuge after fleeing the conflict in Congo. Here, UNHCR alongside the government, is in the process of registering the new arrivals, particularly unaccompanied and separated children, so that we can transfer them to the Musenyi refugee site in Rutana province, away from the border. There, UNHCR and partners are also able to further assist them and in better conditions. As you can see behind me, the women and children lack everything, particularly shelter.”
19. Med shot, aid workers standing near Non Food Items (NFI’s) that will be distributed to refugees
20. Close up, mats
21. Various shots, aid workers near buckets
22. Close up, soap
23. Various shots, refugee carrying away NFI’s
24. Various shots, women and children at water point
25. Various shots, water being collected in containers
26. Med shot, people walking near buses waiting to relocate refugees to settlement
27. Various shots, refugees in bus
28. Various shots, UNHCR staff verifying details of refugees
29. Various shots, people seated in bus
30. Wide shot, bus transporting refugees leaving Rugombo stadium for Musenyi refugee site

Storyline

Over 63,000 people have arrived in Burundi to escape conflict in the DRC. Many are living in difficult conditions at a sports stadium as they wait for relocation to designated refugee camps. In the current constrained funding environment, Burundi is one of many countries where an urgent injection of support is needed. Without that more lives will be put at risk.

As conflict in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues, thousands are still crossing the border into Burundi in what has become the largest influx the country has experienced in decades.

Nearly 63,000 people have arrived in Burundi in less than a month, with over 1,100 crossing on 5 March. Despite a slight decline in arrivals this past week, hundreds of refugees continue to arrive in Burundi every day through 11 border crossings – most of which are unofficial. The majority are women, children and the elderly.

Some arrivals tell harrowing stories of dangerous journeys while fleeing, including new mothers crossing the Rusizi river with their newborns in their arms. Others walked for hours, traversing difficult terrain at night without taking rest, fearing getting caught up in hostilities. For some, this is not the first displacement. One 45-year-old mother first fled to Burundi in her teenage years, and is now back again with her six children. Many children are arriving alone or separated from their families.

There are also reports of people being forced to pay skyrocketing fees for transportation up to the border, some up to three times the cost two weeks ago, making it too expensive for many to afford reaching safety.

The Burundian authorities have established reception and transit facilities to register, shelter, and provide emergency assistance to those arriving. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners are rushing emergency aid to support relief efforts.

Over 45,000 refugees are still sheltering in a local stadium in Rugombo, kilometres from the DRC border, awaiting relocation to designated refugee sites. The stadium has surpassed its hosting capacity, and many families are now staying in open fields within the community or with wellwishers.

This week, UNHCR set up a protection desk to provide critical psychosocial support and assist in identifying specific needs among the new arrivals, including unaccompanied children, survivors of sexual violence, the elderly and people with serious medical conditions. However, resources available for follow-up care are extremely limited. In addition, inadequate sanitation facilities as well as poor waste management are making the situation even more precarious, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Relocation has started to the new refugee site identified by the authorities to ease pressure at the border. However, significant logistical challenges, including vehicle shortages and long travel times, are challenging the efforts to move refugees to better equipped locations.

In the Musenyi refugee site, south of the country, new arrivals are settling down. The site, which can host 10,000 people, is now 60 percent full, with people setting up in communal shelters as UNHCR and partners construct more appropriate housing. Refugees are receiving food and water and can access local health facilities. More land is being identified by the Government of Burundi where additional refugee sites can be set up as more arrive.

Medical services including specialized treatment for the wounded as well as psychosocial support to help address trauma, are urgently needed. To ensure refugee children can continue learning,

UNHCR is looking to build additional classrooms in local schools and other educational facilities. In the current constrained funding environment, Burundi is one of many countries where an urgent injection of support is needed. Without that more lives will be put at risk.

As of 5 March, over 85,000 people have fled to neighbouring counties from DRC following the recent escalation of fighting. In comparison, less than 7,000 people fled to neighbouring countries from DRC in the first two months of 2024, here an urgent injection of support is needed. Without that more lives will be put at risk.