Thousands of people have fled from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo into neighbouring Burundi following the capture of the city of Bukavu by M23 rebels, according to a humanitarian source and Burundian officials on Sunday.
The armed group, which has been waging a violent campaign in the region, seized Bukavu on Friday, displacing hundreds of thousands in its latest offensive.
A source from a non-governmental organisation working on the Burundian side of the border reported a massive influx of refugees since Friday evening.
“Since late Friday afternoon we have been facing the mass arrival of Congolese refugees,” the source, who requested anonymity, stated to AFP.
“There are more than 10,000 of them, and others have continued to arrive today.”
The refugees fled the Kamanyola area in the DRC, crossing the Ruzizi River into Cibitoke, a northwestern province of Burundi.
Burundian Interior Minister Martin Niteretse confirmed the large-scale movement of people into Burundi but said the government was still assessing the total number of arrivals.
“Thousands of Congolese refugees fled because they panicked on learning that the city of Bukavu was taken,” Niteretse told AFP.
“These Congolese people were afraid and jumped into the river to flee the war, but we are trying to reassure them,” he added.
In response to the sudden surge of refugees, Burundian authorities briefly shut a key border crossing with the DRC on Friday in an attempt to manage the situation.
Since October 2023, Burundi has deployed over 10,000 troops to eastern DR Congo to assist Congolese forces in fighting various armed groups.
The ongoing conflict has led to massive displacement across the region, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
