The United Nations has launched an emergency humanitarian appeal to meet the needs of more than 80,000 people who have fled to Burundi following the recent advance of the armed group M23 in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This new wave of displaced people comes after an escalation of fighting in South Kivu province, which borders Burundi.
After taking control of Goma in January and Bukavu in February, M23 opened a new front in early December along the Burundian border. On December 10, the movement seized Uvira, a strategic city with several hundred thousand inhabitants and a major hub for overland trade between the DRC and Burundi, an ally of the authorities in Kinshasa. Although the armed group announced a withdrawal under international pressure, security and intelligence elements were still being reported there on Thursday, according to local sources.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that a massive influx has been recorded since December 5, with nearly 80,000 arrivals through various entry points. These include around 72,000 Congolese nationals and 8,000 Burundians. The UN agency, which expects the figure to reach 90,000, has launched a funding appeal of $33.2 million to ensure minimum reception conditions for populations often hastily settled, without adequate shelter or essential services.
Burundian authorities confirm the scale of the crisis. In Gatumba and Buganda, tens of thousands of refugees are living in extremely precarious conditions. In the commune of Rumonge, in the southwest of the country, local officials describe a dramatic situation marked by severe food shortages and a glaring lack of humanitarian assistance.