WFP Burundi Situation Report #5 (14 April 2025) - DRC Refugees Crisis

DRC / SOUTH KIVU SECURITY SITUATION

• Burundi shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and historically hosts refugees and asylum seekers from eastern DRC.
• The escalation in February 2025 of conflict and violence in DRC Kivu province has resulted in a massive influx of women, children and elderly population from Bukavu, Uvira, and Goma fleeing to Burundi in search of safety.
• According to UNHCR, around 70,000 Congolese refugees have crossed the border to Burundi.
• While the number of new arrivals seems to have stabilized, cross-border pendulum movements make registration figures volatile.

REFUGEES INFLUX FROM DRC

• New arrivals have outnumbered the reception capacity of the transit centers of Cishemere (Cibitoke), Gitara (Makamba) and Makombe (Rumonge).
• The majority (around 45,000) are hosted within local communities in Cibitoke and Rugombo zones.
• Registrations for transfer to permanent site by UNHCR and the National Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (ONPRA) are ongoing.
• As of today, more than 15,000 people have been relocated to the permanent refugee site of Museyni in Rutana province, well above its 10,000 people capacity .