In Burundi, a voluntary repatriation operation for Congolese refugees from the Busuma camp, in the commune of Ruyigi, Buhumuza province, began this Thursday.
Very early in the morning, trucks from the UNHCR, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, were on site to transport their personal belongings: mattresses, bags filled with cooking utensils, and other everyday items. Their faces reflected the joy and eagerness to return home.
Antoine Gashindi, a Congolese refugee, expressed his relief. This repatriation will allow him to escape the harsh living conditions in a camp.
"I feel very, very good. I miss my country, I really miss it. Here in Busuma, there are many problems, there are diseases, many people have left, others have died. It is difficult to have access to water, food, etc. So the living conditions here in Busuma were really not easy," he told Africanews.
Busuma is the largest Congolese refugee camp in the country, housing over 66,000 people. It was established in December 2025 to accommodate them after the M23 seized control of the city of Uvira.
According to the UNHCR, only refugees from areas declared safe are affected by these returns.
"Security conditions are not entirely optimal, and only those who enter safe areas will be able to leave, and only those who feel they can return. Return is entirely voluntary, strictly voluntary for the refugees living here in Burundi ," explains Brigitte Mukanga-Eno, UNHCR Representative in Burundi.
Burundi hosts more than 200,000 Congolese refugees on its soil.
