UN urges aid for DR Congo refugees in Burundi

A displaced Burundian woman reacts as she remains stranded with others on the Congolese side following the closure of the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi at the Kavimvira border post on December 14, 2025. [AFP]

The United Nations appealed for $33 million in urgent funding to help more than 80,000 people who have fled to Burundi after the latest advance by Rwanda-backed militants in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

After seizing the major Congolese cities of Goma in January and Bukavu in February, the M23 armed group launched a new offensive in early December near the Burundian border, even as Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace agreement in Washington.