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ACT Alliance Concept Note BDI181: Emergency Assistance to Congolese Refugees in Burundi

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Background

In the evening of Wednesday the 24 January 2018, refugees fleeing fighting in South Kivu started streaming in Makamba and Rumonge Provinces aboard boats. Since August 2017, the security and humanitarian situation has significantly deteriorated in South Kivu, more specifically on the axis Sebele ‐Kikonde‐Kazimia, the southern coast of Kazimia (Yungu, Talama) and the coastal communities of Ubwari in the Fizi area. On-going clashes between the army FARDC (Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces) and the Mai Yakutumba rebel armed group—claiming to be from the National People's Coalition for the Sovereignty of Congo (CNSPC)—are behind this deterioration of the situation since January 2018. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is alarmed by a recent surge in violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is driving large numbers of Congolese to flee eastwards to neighbouring Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. Thousands of children, women and men have abandoned their homes, in the midst of intensified military operations against Mai-Mai armed groups in South Kivu province. Almost 7,000 people have crossed to neighbouring Burundi and an additional 1,200 to Tanzania. It is believed that many more are displaced inside South Kivu in difficult conditions without shelter or food.

Refugees that ACT members have spoken to say they fled forced recruitment, direct violence and other abuses by armed groups. Others say they fled in anticipation of military operations and out of fear. It is imperative that people fleeing the violence are allowed safe passage, and that humanitarian access to the internally displaced is facilitated. Those refugees seeking to reach Burundi are mainly doing so by crossing Lake Tanganyika on small fishing boats. As of 28 January 2018, according to authorities in Burundi, 8,152 persons have crossed Lake Tanganyika and settled into Burundian provinces of Rumonge and Makamba (this includes 6,934 Congolese and 1,218 returning Burundians). On 29 January 2018, 823 additional persons arrived in Burundi. It is therefore estimated that a total of 9,078 people crossed to Burundi so far. The most probable scenario of the humanitarian community (confirmed by UNHCR) is a total number of 15,000 Congolese refugees and 2,000 Burundians fleeing DRC. The worst-case scenario is as high as 50,000 to 60,000 persons moving into Burundi due to the crisis in DRC.