Conditions are grim as Congolese refugees flood Burundi, according to the UN

The United Nations stated Friday that the Congolese conflict has caused the greatest refugee surge in decades, with 63,000 people fleeing to neighboring Burundi. The situation inside a crowded stadium camp is severe, and many people are stuck in fields outside.

In Rugombo, a few kilometers (miles) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo border where the Congolese army and M23 rebel group are engaged in combat, over 45,000 displaced people are taking refuge in a packed outdoor stadium.

“The circumstances are grave. “The situation is very difficult,” Faith Kasina, the regional spokesperson for the Great Lakes and East and Horn of Africa, told reporters in Geneva.

“The stadium is literally bursting at its seams and there is no additional space for shelter.”

With only 10 to 15 restroom stalls for tens of thousands of fans, the stadium’s sanitary conditions are reportedly subpar. The agency says many families are being compelled to sleep in neighboring open areas.

“Numbers keep swelling, it’s a race against time to try and save lives,” Kasina added, pointing out that the aid being given is not keeping up with the needs.
According to the UNHCR, many of the refugees are unaccompanied minors who have been split off from their family.

At a news conference in Geneva on February 21, UNHCR stated that it will try to relocate the stadium’s patrons. However, moving a large number of refugees to the Musenyi refugee facility in southern Burundi takes six to eight hours due to logistical issues. The agency claims that the site, which can accommodate 10,000 people, is currently 60% occupied.

The organization has called on nations to support its urgent request for $40.4 million in life-saving assistance to support the possible 258,000 refugee inflow into Burundi, Tanzania, and Zambia.

The M23 offensive represents the most severe intensification in almost ten years of the protracted conflict in eastern Congo, which has its roots in the territorial spillover of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide into Congo and the competition for control of the country’s abundant mineral riches.

Rwanda denies claims made by the UN, Congo, and Western nations that it provides troops and weapons support to M23. It claims to be protecting itself from a Hutu militia that is engaged in combat with the Congolese military.

For many years, Burundi has maintained troops in eastern Congo, first to pursue Burundian rebels and more recently to support the war against M23.