6 February 2008
Bujumbura — More than 600 Congolese refugees have reached Cibitoke province over the two weeks. These refugees are currently stationed at Rugombo where they face dire conditions and await humanitarian assistant.
These refugees fled raids carried out by the former Rwandan militiamen called the not far from the border between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The peace deal that the warring side recently reached in the eastern Congo seems to have had no positive impact. Other refugees continue to flock to Bujumbura and seek assistance at the office of the UNHCR.
Hundreds of Congolese have fled to Burundi over the last several months. In contrast to the other waves of refugees, those who flee to Burundi now include the Kinyarwanda speaking Banyamulenge and other Congolese ethnicities who agree to live in the same place peacefully.
Refugees continue to flock to Burundi while Burundi itself is faced with the major challenge of receiving thousands of returning refugees from Tanzania. The Tanzanian government has decided that it will close three refugees' camps holding more than 220,000 Burundian refugees before the end of this year.
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