Bwagiriza : blocking of mixed couples for resettlement

In the Bwagiriza refugee camp located in the province of Ruyigi (eastern Burundi), there are Congolese refugees, most of whom are in the resettlement phase. However, some heterogeneous couples, mainly composed of Congolese refugee men and Burundian women also registered on the resettlement lists, deplore being excluded from the application process for a third host country. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

A. B is married to a Congolese man who has been living in Bwagiriza for several years. She regrets that her husband’s file is slowed down by their union.

“When I met this man, I saw in him a man full of dreams and ambitions. We decided to get married. I didn’t think that our union would be a blockage in his resettlement process,” laments this woman met in crop fields, not far from the camp.

This is also the case for this refugee, married to a Burundian woman for five years.

He began the resettlement process almost three years ago, which is not progressing. He is starting to worry.

“I have already spent 12 years in this camp. I have been married to a Burundian woman for five years. I have started the resettlement process but nothing is progressing. I am despairing,” he explained.

Mixed couples are asking the government of Burundi, the host country, and the UNHCR to treat all refugees equally.

The blockage concerning resettlement for this category has lasted for almost two years.

Three solutions are possible for Congolese refugees living in refugee camps in Burundi.

Repatriation, reintegration or resettlement in a third host country.

Of the three solutions, Congolese refugees believe that resettlement remains the best outcome.