According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 33,000 Congolese refugees have returned spontaneously to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from Burundi since the Burundi–DRC border reopened at the end of February. UNHCR is now calling for urgent international support to ensure that these returns are carried out safely, with dignity, and sustainably.
Most returnees are crossing through the Kavimvira border point near Uvira in the DRC's South Kivu Province. They had fled to Burundi in December 2025 when fighting between the M23 armed group and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) forced thousands to flee Uvira and the surrounding areas.
“Following recent stability in Uvira and the reopening of the border, some refugees expressed a wish to return home,” said Ali Mahamat, UNHCR Head of the Goma Sub-Office, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.
“Returns were also accelerated by the severe underfunding for the response in Burundi, which has reduced assistance levels and led many refugees to return home amid continued uncertainty.”
Around 30 percent of returnees had been living in Burundi's Busuma refugee site. Despite the efforts of national authorities, UNHCR, and other aid agencies, funding shortfalls there resulted in overcrowding and limited access to water, sanitation, medicine, and shelter. At the same time, nearly 4,500 people remain in transit centers awaiting relocation to Busuma.
As of Monday, Burundi continues to host approximately 109,000 Congolese refugees, including around 67,000 in Busuma, according to UNHCR. Meanwhile, conditions in many areas in DR Congo remain fragile, with acute humanitarian needs.
“Initial UNHCR assessments in Uvira and Fizi show families arriving with few belongings, in urgent need of shelter, basic household items, health care, and access to water and sanitation,” Mahamat said.
“Many returned to find their homes destroyed and belongings looted, leaving them in deep despair and unable to resume normal life without substantial support.”
UNHCR and its partners are increasing protection monitoring and providing urgent humanitarian assistance in close coordination with national and provincial authorities. Humanitarian teams have been deployed to border crossings and return areas to monitor risks and identify vulnerable individuals.
“In Uvira and Fizi, we are providing emergency tarpaulins, blankets, soap and protection services. We are also delivering hot meals to returnees, alongside registration and screening, in close collaboration with government counterparts,” the UNHCR official said.
The UN agency reiterates that refugee decisions to return must be respected, and all returns must remain voluntary, safe and dignified.
“While recent return movements reflect hope for stability as well as the impact of underfunding, they should not expose families to renewed risks. Strengthening security, basic services and support for host communities in return areas is essential,” Mahamat emphasized.
UNHCR's response to the needs of refugees, returnees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in DRC is only 34 percent funded, with a total requirement of US$145 million. Meanwhile, UNHCR's support for Congolese refugees in Burundi is only 20 percent funded.
"Additional funding is urgently needed to support the life-saving needs of these families, both those who have returned and those who remain displaced," Mahamat said.
Although it is rarely covered by international news outlets, the humanitarian crisis in DR Congo is one of the longest-running and most neglected in the world. Ongoing armed conflict is the primary cause of the humanitarian crisis in DRC.
For years, the country's human rights and humanitarian crises have spiraled, prompting the United Nations to repeatedly warn of the dire situation and urge the international community to pay more attention to the plight of Congolese civilians.
The eastern provinces, particularly South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri, have been plagued by violence for decades as non-state armed groups battle for control of the region's abundant natural resources. Many of those forced to flee have been displaced multiple times.
Last year, hostilities spread throughout eastern provinces, leading to widespread displacement, continuous back-and-forth movement, and heightened protection risks for the civilian population.
Since December 2025, the escalating conflict in South Kivu has resulted in the forced displacement of an estimated 500,000 people, leaving families to shelter in overcrowded public spaces and with overstretched host communities. The renewed violence had also forced nearly 240,000 Congolese to flee to neighboring countries, primarily to Burundi.
While insecurity persists across eastern DRC and ongoing clashes continue to displace civilians, Congolese refugees are gradually returning from Burundi. These returns are largely driven by underfunding, as aid is running out and living conditions in exile continue to deteriorate.