Burundi seeing biggest wave of refugees in 25 years: UNHCR

Congolese refugees displaced by ongoing clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo disembark from a truck upon arrival at the Gihanga refugee transit camp in Gihanga on February 17, 2025. [AFP]

Burundi is having to deal with the largest movement of refugees in 25 years fleeing the escalating conflict in the DR Congo, the United Nations refugee agency said.

Rwandan-backed M23 fighters have made big gains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, seizing the cities of Goma and Bukavu, prompting warnings to the UN's security council and stoking fears of a regional conflagration.