Over 88,000 Congolese refugees have fled to Burundi amid escalating violence in South Kivu, prompting urgent humanitarian and medical interventions to address severe health and living conditions.
More than 88,000 refugees have arrived in Burundi following a surge in violence in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Refugees are facing severe living conditions in camps, with limited access to clean water, food, hygiene, and other basic necessities as arrivals continue in large numbers.
“The camp is saturated, you can see a few families sharing the same tent, and the ground is covered in mud,” says Zakari Moluh, MSF project coordinator describing the situation in the Ndava site in Cibitoke, northwest of Burundi. “We see people holding two-litre water bottles and this is all they have to cover their water needs; food is almost unavailable. We fear a worsening of the health and humanitarian situation.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expanded its emergency operations in response, warning of heightened risks of epidemic outbreaks, including cholera and measles, alongside a potential surge in malaria cases among vulnerable populations. Since the influx began two weeks ago, approximately 37,000 people crossed the Rusizi River seeking refuge at the Ndava site. MSF is providing daily care to roughly 200 patients through a mobile clinic, while complex cases are referred to Cibitoke district hospital. In addition, MSF delivers 25,000 litres of water per day and is constructing latrines and showers to reduce disease transmission.
“We see people in a state of distress, despair and exhaustion. We see women who gave birth while fleeing, some that give birth in our clinic,” says Moluh. “Forty-two per cent of malaria tests carried out during the last days were positive. In Ndava camp, we’ve treated 14 confirmed cases of cholera and have seen one suspected case of measles,” he says.
At the Bweru long-term campsite in eastern Burundi, around 29,000 refugees are receiving support from local authorities and international organisations. MSF is assisting a 50-bed cholera treatment centre and offering logistical support to mitigate health risks in overcrowded conditions. Key healthcare needs include sexual and reproductive health services and support for survivors of sexual violence.
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MSF is intensifying its nationwide emergency response, focusing on vaccinations, cholera and measles prevention, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. With the security and political situation in the DRC rapidly evolving, refugees face ongoing uncertainty, while humanitarian actors in Burundi contend with overwhelming needs requiring immediate mobilisation.
