Tens of thousands flee DR Congo to Burundi amid rebel takeover of key city

UN exile bureau says women and children arriving ‘exhausted and severely traumatised’ aft fleeing eastbound DRC.

More than 84,000 radical person fled to Burundi from the eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid a Rwanda-backed rebel violative adjacent the countries’ shared border, according to the latest United Nations figures.

The UN exile bureau (UNHCR) said connected Friday that Burundi had reached a “critical point” amid the influx of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing a surge successful unit successful the DRC’s South Kivu province.

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“Thousands of radical crossing the borderline connected ft and by boats each time person overwhelmed section resources, creating a large humanitarian exigency that requires contiguous planetary support,” UNHCR said, noting that much than 200,000 radical had present sought refuge successful Burundi.

“Women and children are peculiarly affected, arriving exhausted and severely traumatised, bearing the carnal and intelligence marks of terrifying violence. Our teams met large women, who shared that they had not eaten successful days.”

The exodus began successful aboriginal December erstwhile the M23 rebel radical launched an battle that culminated successful the seizure of Uvira, a strategical metropolis successful the eastbound DRC that is location to hundreds of thousands of people.

Refugees started crossing into Burundi connected December 5, with numbers surging aft M23 seized power of Uvira connected December 10. On Wednesday, M23 said it was withdrawing aft planetary condemnation of its onslaught connected the city.

In Burundi, displaced families face hard conditions astatine transit points and makeshift camps with minimal infrastructure, the UN said.

Many person sheltered nether trees without capable extortion from the elements, and a deficiency of cleanable h2o and due sanitation.

About fractional of those displaced are children little than the property of 18, on with galore women, including immoderate who are pregnant.

Ezechiel Nibigira, the Burundian president of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), reported 25,000 refugees successful Gatumba successful occidental Burundi, and astir 40,000 successful Buganda successful the northwest, astir of them “completely destitute”.

Augustin Minani, the head successful Rumonge, told the AFP quality bureau that the concern was “catastrophic” and said “the immense bulk are dying of hunger.”

Refugees recounted witnessing bombings and artillery fire, with immoderate seeing relatives killed and others forced to wantonness aged household members who could not proceed the journey.

M23 withdrawal

M23 announced earlier this week it would statesman withdrawing from Uvira, with the group’s enactment calling the determination a “trust-building measure” to enactment United States- and Qatari-led bid efforts.

However, the Congolese Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya dismissed the announcement arsenic a “diversion”, alleging it was meant to relieve unit connected Rwanda.

Local sources reported that M23 constabulary and quality unit remained deployed successful the metropolis connected Thursday.

The violative extended M23’s territorial gains this twelvemonth aft the radical captured the large cities of Goma successful January and Bukavu successful February.

The rebel beforehand has fixed M23 power implicit important territory successful the mineral-rich eastbound DRC and severed a captious proviso way for Congolese forces on the borderline with Burundi.

M23 launched the Uvira violative little than a week aft the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda met with US President Donald Trump successful Washington, DC, to reaffirm their committedness to a bid agreement.

The rebels’ takeover of the metropolis drew crisp disapproval from Washington, with officials informing of consequences for what they described arsenic Rwanda’s usurpation of the accord. Rwanda denies backing M23.

The warring has killed much than 400 civilians successful the DRC and displaced much than 200,000 since aboriginal December, according to determination officials and humanitarian organisations.

The broader struggle crossed the eastbound portion of the country, wherever much than 100 equipped groups operate, has displaced much than 7 cardinal people, the UN exile bureau says.