Busuma camp : anger simmers – thousands of Congolese refugees demand forced return to the DRC

SOS Médias Burundi

Ruyigi, January 16, 2026 – A wave of anger and despair is sweeping through the Busuma refugee camp in the district of Ruyigi, Buhumuza province, in the eastern part of the small east African nation. On Friday, more than 4,000 refugees attempted to march toward the town center to demand a voluntary return to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), denouncing living conditions they deem unbearable.

A march of despair

The demonstrators organized a peaceful march, chanting slogans in favor of returning to their places of origin, despite the persistent insecurity in parts of South Kivu and North Kivu.

“We are hungry. I have been in this camp for three weeks and, since our arrival, we have received no assistance.” “Every day, we bury people here. We ask for either dignified humanitarian aid or for a voluntary return home,” says a refugee, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Arrests and a climate of protest

These incidents are occurring in an already tense context, marked in particular by the arrest on Wednesday of about ten refugees accused of leading a protest movement against the food distribution system implemented by the World Food Program (WFP). Their detention has exacerbated frustration and a sense of injustice within the camp.

Critical living conditions

The Busuma camp, established in December 2025, hosts more than 67,000 Congolese refugees out of the approximately 100,000 who have arrived from South Kivu since the beginning of December. Complaints are recurring :

Lack of food rations : some have received nothing for more than two weeks.

Inadequate healthcare : A mother explains that her three children are suffering from malaria and diarrhea, but are only receiving paracetamol.

Suspicion surrounding healthcare services : Some refugees suspect the UNHCR and the ONPRA (National Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) of concealing the true number of deaths.

Faced with these conditions, some refugees say they will be forced to pick cassava leaves or beg from the host population to survive. Death figures vary : 139 according to the refugees, 25 according to the ONPRA, including three from cholera.

Calls for voluntary return

Almost all the refugees interviewed are now calling for voluntary return to their country of origin. A young woman confides, her voice filled with emotion :

“It’s better to return to your country and die there than to die in this camp.”

She warns that the climate of mistrust, where everyone regards each other with suspicion, could lead to a widespread strike in and around the camp. Some refugees declare they are ready to walk to Congo, even on foot, to return to their country.

Reaction of the authorities

The police intervened to disperse the demonstrators, firing shots and causing panic. Fiacre Nkunzimana, ONPRA coordinator for the four camps in Buhumuza (Bwagiriza, Nyankanda, Kavumu, and Busuma), condemns the behavior of some refugees :

He denounces fraud during registration, such as the multiple registration of the same household, leading to delays in aid distribution.

He deplores a phenomenon of delinquency, with some young people demanding their rights through violence and stealing food and non-food items while moving around in the neighboring villages.

He advises refugees to abandon these unnecessary demands and recommends contacting the Congolese and Burundian governments and the UNHCR regarding security issues related to eastern DRC.

Regional context

This crisis is unfolding within a highly complex and violent regional context. The FARDC, supported by troops from the small east African nation and the Wazalendo militias, are fighting the M23 rebels, which reactivated in 2021 and are part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23). This group controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of the two Kivus, as well as the Rubaya mining site, a crucial mineral for the electronics industry and new technologies. The AFC/M23 also advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda denounces the alleged support of the DRC and the small east African nation for the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Despite Rwandan denials, a report by the UN Group of Experts mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the AFC/M23.

According to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security, consulted by SOS Médias Burundi reports that the Burundian army has deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern Congo, fighting alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias in the war against the M23.

Despite the Washington Agreement of December 4, 2025, between the the DRC and Rwanda, brokered by the United States, clashes continue, confirming the failure of diplomatic efforts. The small east African nation participated in this agreement as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye.

An explosive situation

With more than 200,000 Congolese refugees now on its soil, the small east African nation faces a major humanitarian crisis. Observers believe the risk of further unrest remains high, as the Great Lakes region sinks into persistent instability with profound human, security, and geopolitical consequences.