Burundi : cholera outbreak among Congolese refugees, forced return to transit sites, and fears of armed infiltration

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, December 17, 2025 – A cholera outbreak has affected Congolese refugees living in Burundi, while authorities have ordered the return of all displaced Congolese to transit sites, citing the risk of infiltration by armed fighters in a highly tense regional context.

According to a report from the Burundian Ministry of Health consulted by SOS Médias Burundi, 46 Congolese refugees living in the Gatumba transit camp in the west of the country have contracted cholera. They are currently being treated at the Prince Louis Rwagasore hospital in Bujumbura.

Since the beginning of 2025, the small east African nation has recorded 3,098 cases of cholera, primarily affecting the northwest, Bujumbura, the south, and the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Very difficult humanitarian conditions in other refugee camps

Our reporters in the port town of Rumonge and the Cibitoke region describe extremely precarious living conditions :

shortage of drinking water,

lack of shelter, families sleeping outdoors,

limited access to healthcare,

virtually nonexistent hygiene.

These factors contribute to the spread of cholera and other diseases transmitted through poor hygiene. Local medical sources fear a rapid deterioration if the supply of water, latrines, and hygiene kits is not increased.

Mandatory return to transit sites : strict measures and fears of armed infiltration

In a statement read on December 17 by Pierre Nkurikiye, spokesperson for the Burundian Ministry of the Interior and Security, all Congolese refugees who have rented houses or found refuge with friends or acquaintances must immediately return to transit sites, pending their relocation to camps in the northeast and southeast of the country.

The ministry has instructed the police and administration officials to strictly enforce this measure.

“Anyone who refuses to comply will face serious penalties,” warns the statement, which was reviewed by SOS Médias Burundi.

According to the authorities, this decision is motivated by the fear of gunmen infiltrating the refugee population. In addition to civilians, Burundi has taken in Congolese soldiers, as well as Congolese and Rwandan militiamen who fled the recent advance of the AFC/M23 political and military coalition in South Kivu. Some of these individuals have already been transferred to Burundian military facilities.

Regional context : M23 reactivated, integration into the AFC, and cross accusations

Reactivated in 2021, the M23, composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis, now controls several towns in North and South Kivu, including Uvira, located a few kilometers from Bujumbura, as well as several strategic mineral-rich areas.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda denounces the support given by the DRC and Burundi to the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group implicated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

These tensions persist despite the Washington Agreement signed on December 4, 2025, under US mediation, between the DRC and Rwanda, with Burundi as an observer, intended to facilitate the regional de-escalation.

Kigali continues to deny its support for the rebels despite the report by UN experts, whom Rwandan authorities have dismissed as “imposters,” confirming the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23.

Burundi has deployed more than 10,000 soldiers to the DRC to support the FARDC and the Wazalendo auxiliary groups. The M23 is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a political and military movement hostile to Kinshasa, led by the former president of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Corneille Nangaa, who advocates for a federal state in the DRC.

Security and humanitarian repercussions for Burundi

The consequences are already being felt : more than 70,000 Congolese refugees have fled to Burundi since the beginning of December, including soldiers and militiamen, as the Uvira land crossing has become impassable.

This massive influx poses a dual challenge for Burundi : managing the cholera health emergency while maintaining security in the face of the risk of internal destabilization.

Between health emergency and security imperative

While cholera cases continue to rise and patients are being treated in Bujumbura, conditions in the camps and transit sites remain extremely difficult. Humanitarian organizations are warning of a potential epidemic surge if intervention resources are not strengthened.

The Burundian government insists on the need to strictly control refugee movements to prevent any internal destabilization in a regional context already marked by the advance of the M23 and the presence of armed groups in the region.