Photo of the week – Bujumbura : mass arrests of Congolese, fear takes hold in the capital

A climate of fear and uncertainty has taken hold within the Congolese community living in Bujumbura, the commercial capital of Burundi. The cause : a series of searches and arrests carried out in recent days by law enforcement in several neighborhoods of the city, primarily targeting nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The latest operation took place on Friday, October 3, in the Mutakura neighborhood, north of the city, where Burundian police conducted a large-scale house search. Among those arrested were Congolese refugees, as well as other Congolese living without official refugee status in Bujumbura.

Four days earlier, a similar operation had taken place in Cibitoke, also marked by numerous arrests. According to several reports, some of those arrested spent two days in detention before being released upon payment of fines of up to 200,000 Burundi francs per person.
Those without legal documents were reportedly deported to the Gatumba-Kavimvira border crossing in western Burundi, while recognized refugees were returned to their original camps in the interior of the country.

An influential member of the Congolese community in Bujumbura, who requested anonymity, strongly condemned these operations.

“Burundi is a friendly country to the DRC. We do not understand these mass arrests and deportations. Some of our people are being sent back to areas where there is insecurity.”

He continues :

“Others do not want to apply for refugee status because they regularly cross the border to work and provide for their families here in Bujumbura. We ask the Burundian government to take into account the difficult situation facing the Congolese people.”

This member adds that the fines imposed and deportations risk breaking up entire families.

“Those who are arrested should not be overtaxed, and those who have not yet regularized their stay should be helped to do so. The embassy must continue to dialogue with local authorities to prevent families from being separated.”

Another testimony comes from a Congolese refugee legally registered in Burundi, but who regularly travels to Bujumbura for family reasons.

“I arrived in Bujumbura two years ago for my children’s studies, because they are still too young to live on their own. To live in the city, we must obtain a legal document issued by the ONPRA (National Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons).

He explains :

“This document authorizes refugees to live in urban areas. But today, it has become difficult to be obtained. Only students are entitled to it. We ask the ONPRA to facilitate our access to this document so that we can live with dignity, without fear of arrest or deportation.”

The panic spreading among the Congolese community in Burundi highlights an urgent need for dialogue between Burundian authorities, the ONPRA, and the DRC embassy, ​​as well as clarification of legal settlement procedures and better access to administrative documentation.

Our photo : Congolese refugees arrested by the police and loaded into a truck heading for the Burundi-DRC border, in September 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)