As fighting escalates in eastern DRC, more than 40,000 Congolese refugees – primarily women and children – have crossed into Burundi since February, with over 9,000 arrivals recorded in a single day this week.

Many are using makeshift boats to traverse the Rusizi River, a perilous crossing at the border shared by Burundi, DRC and Rwanda.

“The escalating security situation in the DR Congo has been having a serious impact on the Burundi side. Over the past few weeks, we have observed a large number of Congolese who have been crossing into Burundi,” said Brigitte Mukanga-Eno, UNHCR’s Representative in Burundi, at a press briefing in Geneva.

The situation is set to worsen as hostilities move closer to Uvira, a key town near Burundi’s main official border crossing.

A surge in displacement

UNHCR has welcomed the Burundian government’s decision to grant prima facie refugee status to those fleeing the conflict, ensuring immediate protection. However, the unprecedented influx is straining local resources.

“This is the very first time that Burundi is receiving this large number of people in a matter of a few days”, Ms. Mukanga-Eno noted. “The last one was in the early 2000s, so everyone is overwhelmed: the government, but also the humanitarian actors in the country.”

While around 6,000 refugees have entered through Bujumbura’s official border post, the vast majority – more than 36,000 – have arrived via the Rusizi River, often in critical condition after long journeys on foot.

Some have walked for days. “The other day, we had a case of a woman who was transporting her children and not knowing that they were already dead”, Ms. Mukanga-Eno shared.

Dire conditions at reception sites

The government has permitted refugees to shelter temporarily at the Rugombo Stadium in open-air conditions, as well as in schools and churches. However, these sites are overcrowded and dangerously close to the border.

“Unfortunately, the conditions for receptions are very limited,” Ms. Mukanga-Eno said. The government has allocated land to create a more sustainable settlement, but for now, people are still in schools and stadiums without adequate shelter, she explained.

UNHCR teams on the ground report severe shortages of food, water and sanitation facilities. Cases of measles have already been detected, prompting an emergency vaccination campaign targeting children under 15.

She said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has put water tanks in place, while the World Food Programme (WFP) “has also been able to deploy some food for us to make sure that we can provide hot meals to the people who are coming.”

Medical services are also stretched, with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) running a mobile clinic to treat refugees suffering from malnutrition, disease and trauma.

Many people have endured extreme violence before reaching Burundi, with psychosocial support urgently needed.

Regional displacement

Beyond Burundi, smaller but significant numbers of displaced people have reached other neighbouring countries.

Since January, Uganda has registered over 13,000 arrivals, mostly through the Nyakabande transit centre.

In Tanzania, 53 Congolese refugees sought asylum in Kigoma on 19 February, marking the highest daily arrival figure this year.

UNHCR’s $40.4 million appeal aims to provide life-saving assistance to 275,000 internally displaced people in the DR Congo, as well as support a projected influx of 258,000 refugees and returnees across Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

“We were targeting about 58,000 people. We have already received more than 40,000,” Ms. Mukanga-Eno said, calling for urgent support from donors to prevent further suffering.