Buhumuza : over 67,000 refugees at Busuma camp face a water and sanitation crisis

SOS Médias Burundi

Ruyigi, January 12, 2026 – Overwhelmed by extreme overcrowding, the Busuma refugee camp, located in the district of Ruyigi, Buhumuza province, in eastern Burundi, is facing an acute crisis in drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation. With over 67,000 Congolese refugees in a camp designed for 20,000 people, the site illustrates the limitations of a humanitarian system under immense pressure, with worrying health consequences for both the refugees and the host communities of Ruyigi.

Designed to accommodate 20,000 people, the Busuma camp is facing increasing humanitarian pressure, a direct consequence of the ongoing instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where hostilities between the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and their allies against the M23 rebels continue to cause massive displacement of civilians to neighboring countries, including Burundi.

It is in this context of a humanitarian and security crisis that an assessment mission was carried out last Friday at the camp.

During this visit, Lucas Honneur, the European Union’s humanitarian aid officer, called on the Burundian authorities and the non-governmental organizations working at the site to strengthen their efforts. “Much remains to be done. It is imperative that all actors redouble their efforts and demonstrate responsibility in order to ensure a lasting improvement in the living conditions of the refugees,” he stated.

Accompanied by local administrative authorities and representatives of humanitarian organizations, the European official toured several neighborhoods of the camp to assess the most urgent needs, particularly in the areas of hygiene and sanitation, considered priorities for preventing the risk of epidemics.

Water shortage with local repercussions

Valéry Nkunzimana, advisor to the governor of Buhumuza province in charge of development, raised concerns about the alarming situation in the town of Ruyigi, which is facing a severe water shortage. “Some households can now go up to a whole week without access to drinking water,” he stated.

According to him, the water shortage in the Busuma camp is already having a direct impact on the host population, as water initially intended for the residents of Ruyigi is now being shared with the refugees. He stressed the need for sustainable solutions to supply the camp without exacerbating the already critical situation in the town.

Progress still far from sufficient

On the ground, Frédéric Coussigh, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), acknowledged that despite some improvements, shortcomings remain. He indicated that currently, 97 people share a single latrine, compared to nearly 1,000 people per latrine at the camp’s inception.

Regarding access to drinking water, he explained that at the beginning of operations, a family had to make do with one liter of water, whereas today each refugee has an average of about two liters per day, a volume far below international humanitarian standards. “All needs cannot be met in such a short period of time. Improving living conditions remains a gradual process requiring sustained commitment,” he emphasized.

An influx linked to an explosive regional conflict

The humanitarian crisis in Busuma is unfolding against an extremely tense regional backdrop, marked by the ongoing armed violence in eastern DRC. Reactivated in 2021, the M23, composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis, is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

The AFC/M23 controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, as well as the Rubaya mining site, one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, a strategic mineral essential to the electronics industry. The movement advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the AFC/M23, while Kigali rejects these accusations and denounces, for its part, the alleged support of the DRC and Burundi for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a predominantly Hutu Rwandan armed group created by former members of the forces and militias responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Despite Rwandan denials, a report by the UN Group of Experts mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside AFC/M23 fighters.

The fighting continues despite the Washington Agreement, signed on December 4, 2025, between the DRC and Rwanda under the US mediation. Burundi participated as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye, but this agreement has not succeeded in halting the military escalation.

Since August 2022, Burundi has deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern DRC, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security consulted by SOS Médias Burundi. Burundian soldiers are fighting alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the local Wazalendo militias, supported by Kinshasa, sometimes in coordination with elements of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda).

This conflict, with its multiple regional ramifications, is causing massive displacement of civilians. Burundi received approximately 90,000 Congolese refugees in December 2025 alone, in addition to more than 70,000 others who arrived earlier in the year, significantly increasing the humanitarian pressure on the small east African nation, particularly in already fragile provinces like Buhumuza.

Between overcrowding, water shortages, and inadequate infrastructure, the Busuma camp illustrates the scale of the humanitarian challenges facing Burundi, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated, sustainable, and better-funded response to protect the health and dignity of both refugees and other groups.

An influx linked to an explosive regional conflict

The humanitarian crisis in Busuma is unfolding against an extremely tense regional backdrop, marked by the ongoing armed violence in eastern DRC. Reactivated in 2021, the M23, composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis, is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

The AFC/M23 controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, as well as the Rubaya mining site, one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, a strategic mineral essential to the electronics industry. The movement advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the AFC/M23, while Kigali rejects these accusations and denounces, for its part, the alleged support of the DRC and Burundi for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a predominantly Hutu Rwandan armed group created by former members of the forces and militias responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Despite Rwandan denials, a report by the UN Group of Experts mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside AFC/M23 fighters.

The fighting continues despite the Washington Agreement, signed on December 4, 2025, between the DRC and Rwanda under the US mediation. Burundi participated as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye, but this agreement has not succeeded in halting the military escalation.

Since August 2022, Burundi has deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern DRC, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security consulted by SOS Médias Burundi. Burundian soldiers are fighting alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the local Wazalendo militias, supported by Kinshasa, sometimes in coordination with elements of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda).

This conflict, with its multiple regional ramifications, is causing massive displacement of civilians. Burundi received approximately 90,000 Congolese refugees in December 2025 alone, in addition to more than 70,000 others who arrived earlier in the year, significantly increasing the humanitarian pressure on the small east African nation, particularly in already fragile provinces like Buhumuza.

Between overcrowding, water shortages, and inadequate infrastructure, the Busuma camp illustrates the scale of the humanitarian challenges facing Burundi, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated, sustainable, and better-funded response to protect the health and dignity of both refugees and other groups.