BUJUMBURA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Burundi has received between 20,000 and 35,000 asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since February 2025, the country's home affairs minister said.
Burundian Minister of the Interior, Community Development, and Public Security Martin Niteretse made the remarks Wednesday evening after meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), development partners, and international humanitarian organizations to address the ongoing influx of Congolese asylum seekers fleeing insecurity in the country's South Kivu Province.
"About 100 Congolese police officers also crossed into Burundi on Wednesday, seeking refuge. All those asylum seekers urgently need to be protected," said Niteretse, adding that the number of arrivals rocketed particularly after Feb. 14.
From Feb. 14 to 16, nearly 10,000 asylum seekers crossed into Burundi, fleeing fighting in the eastern DRC, he said. The majority entered through Gatumba in Mutimbuzi district, Bujumbura province, or crossed the Rusizi River into Bubanza and Cibitoke provinces.
"The Burundian government calls for national and international solidarity to support efforts aimed at assisting those refugees and adequately address this humanitarian crisis," Niteretse said.
To respond to the situation, the Burundian government will establish a commission to coordinate urgent security, shelter, food, and healthcare measures for the asylum seekers, Niteretse added.
The newly arrived refugees will be relocated to the Musenyi refugee site in Giharo district, Rutana province, in southeast Burundi.
"New refugees will progressively be relocated to the Musenyi refugee site in Rutana province to provide them an adequate sheltering environment and to ensure that their security is guaranteed," he said, specifying that other sites would be allocated to the UNHCR and its partners depending on the number of arrivals.
Burundi currently hosts five refugee camps, with most of their residents being from the DRC. ■
