Bwagiriza : a Congolese refugee disappeared

Tabaro Jean Bosco, a refugee from the Bwagiriza camp, was reported missing on Monday, March 31, 2025. While in Bujumbura, the commercial city of Burundi where he worked to support his family who remained in the camp, he was abducted by two men, one in civilian clothes and the other in Burundian police uniform.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

His last communication was by phone when he arrived in Kamenge (north of Bujumbura), where the two men asked him to get into a pickup truck. Since then, his phone has remained unreachable, plunging his family into deep concern for his safety. Some of his friends, contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, expressed their despair at this disappearance. They fear for Tabaro’s life and wonder about his fate. The lack of news only increases their distress and fuels their fears for his safety.

“We are very worried. Tabaro is a family member and must be released so he can return home. We implore the authorities to help us find him,” said a close family member.

The disappearance of Tabaro Jean Bosco raises questions about the safety of refugees in Burundi. His family continues to hope for news and calls for the mobilization of relevant authorities to find this man.

This disappearance comes amid a resurgence of persecution targeting Congolese refugees in Burundi. In recent days, several cases of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances have been reported in refugee camps and urban areas. Reports have reported nighttime raids by individuals in uniform and increased threats against those who attempt to report these abuses. Faced with this alarming situation, human rights organizations are calling for an independent investigation and urgent measures to protect Congolese refugees living in Burundi.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Burundi currently hosts more than 89,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Among them, approximately 56,000 reside in refugee camps. Furthermore, since the beginning of February 2025, up to 40,000 Congolese nationals, mostly women and children, have arrived in Burundi seeking international protection due to the escalating conflict in eastern DRC. This situation brings the total number of Congolese refugees in Burundi to approximately 129,000.

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Tabaro Jean Bosco, the Congolese refugee missing since Monday, March 31, 2025