Congo Kinshasa & Burundi
Congolese flee into war-ravaged Burundi

afrol News, 16 October - Heavy fighting among rebel groups in the Congolese South Kivu province has created a new wave of refugees into Burundi. Thousands of Burundians meanwhile are fleeing the escalating civil war in their country, heading to a peaceful Tanzanian refuge.

According to reports from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, several thousand refugees from Congo Kinshasa (DRC) have fled into north-western Burundi since the weekend, when heavy fighting broke out in South Kivu between two rebel groups – the Mai-Mai militia and the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD-Goma).

Burundian authorities in the town of Rugombo, in Cibitoke Province, inform that more than 5,000 refugees had arrived on Monday through at least four border crossings. A team including UNHCR this morning had travelled to Cibitoke Province to get more information about yesterday's influx.

Over the weekend, nearly 2,000 refugees arrived in Burundi after the south Kivu town of Uvira, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, fell to the Mai-Mai militia, which is close to the Kinshasa regime. Uvira is located just across the border from the Burundian capital, Bujumbura.

- We are increasingly concerned that there may be further displacement if the Mai-Mai offensive in the Kivu region continues, spokesman Millicent Mutuli said yesterday. The Mai-Mai militia indicate they intend to press on northwards toward the Congolese town of Bukavu, on the shores of Lake Kivu. At the same time, RCD-Goma rebels say they will launch a counter-offensive to re-capture Uvira.

The UN refugee agency said it was "extremely worried that possible fighting for Bukavu or a counter-offensive for Uvira could lead to further population displacement into Burundi – which is itself fragile from years of conflict – or into south-western Rwanda."

Many of the refugees who fled over the weekend from Uvira are Congolese of ethnic Tutsi origin – also known as Banyamulenge. They arrived in Burundi through the border crossing at Gatumba in Bujumbura Rural and were transferred to a former refugee site less than 10 km from the border with Congo. The site at Gatumba is some 15 km from the Burundi capital, Bujumbura.

On Saturday morning, heavy bombardments had rocked villages in the hills surrounding Uvira. Many of those fleeing into Burundi said they left out of fear. The majority of the refugees arrived with plenty of belongings, including food and cooking utensils, in private cars or hired vehicles. Among the new arrivals were also family members or officials of RCD-Goma, who until recently had controlled Uvira.

Refugees who arrived early on Saturday were allowed to proceed to Bujumbura, where they joined family or friends. But, as numbers grew during the day, Burundi authorities designated the site at Gatumba for the settlement of over 300 refugee families. By Monday, UNHCR had begun to erect large hangars to shelter the displaced.

The flow of refugees through Gatumba had stopped by Monday, although it was not clear whether people had been prevented from crossing into Burundi or whether they were heeding the call by the new authorities to stay put in Uvira and surrounding areas. Mai Mai rebels were also said to be urging refugees who had crossed into Burundi to return home as Uvira was in "safe hands." There were reports that Burundi soldiers had been deployed to the border to secure the area.

Many refugees at the border on Saturday said they would like to return home as soon as possible. Many were, however, worried about their homes and property, which they feared had been looted. 

Meanwhile, close to 10,000 Burundian refugees have been streaming into Tanzanian camps in October alone. The new wave of Burundian refugees comes amid intense fighting between government troops and rebels in eastern Burundi. There are reports of massacres and forced displacements by both sides to the conflict. 

Sources: Based on UN sources and afrol archives

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