Musenyi : cross-border solidarity – Angéline Ndayishimiye and Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi meet with Congolese refugees

SOS Médias Burundi

Musenyi, April 30, 2025 – First Ladies of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo made a joint visit to the Congolese refugee site of Musenyi, in southeastern Burundi, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. This initiative was marked by a surge of solidarity that touched more than 18,000 displaced people living there, mainly women and children.

Accompanied by UNHCR officials and Burundian authorities, Angéline Ndayishimiye and Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi visited several key facilities : a child protection center, a psychological support center, and a center dedicated to the prevention of gender-based violence. Their objective : to assess local needs and send a message of humanity and support.

“Seeing the First Lady of my country here, among us, was incredible. She spoke with us, she listened to our stories,” said Clarisse, a single mother of five. “We are not forgotten.”

Ruth, another refugee and survivor of sexual violence, praised the symbolic significance of this visit. “Their presence sends a strong message against being forgotten and abandoned. We felt seen and respected.”

Refugees’ representative Dieudonné Sumbu expressed his gratitude to the two First Ladies, particularly praising Angéline Ndayishimiye’s steadfast commitment and Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi’s courage in crossing the border to support her compatriots.

According to Brigitte Mukanga Eno, UNHCR representative in Burundi, the Musenyi site currently hosts approximately 18,000 refugees, more than half of whom are children. She also noted a worrying prevalence of sexual violence among refugee women and issued an urgent call for enhanced protection, particularly at borders, as well as increased provision of basic needs.

Ms. Tshisekedi’s foundation donated significant humanitarian aid on this occasion : 225 tons of corn flour, 100 tons of beans, 75 tons of sugar, 40 tons of soybeans, clothing, soap, and more than 43,000 packs of sanitary napkins.

Since the intensification of violence in eastern DRC—particularly between the M23 rebels and the FARDC, supported by the Burundian army and Wazalendo groups—Burundi has welcomed more than 70,000 new Congolese refugees, in addition to the approximately 90,000 already present on its territory. Thousands of Congolese continue to flee to neighboring countries, driven by the war raging in the provinces of North and South Kivu.

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First Ladies of Burundi and the DRC, Angeline Ndayishimiye and Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, prepare to provide aid to Congolese refugees in Musenyi, photo credit : RTNB