KINSHASA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A column of buses idled at dusk on the Burundian side of the border, their windows framing silhouettes of families pressed among piled belongings. After months in exile, they were finally heading home.
Last Thursday, about 470 refugees crossed back into the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first organized return from Burundi under a voluntary repatriation program facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The convoy, which departed from the Busuma refugee site in Burundi's Ruyigi Province, entered the DRC through the Kavimvira border post before proceeding toward Uvira, a lakeside city in South Kivu Province.
The operation was conducted under arrangements between the two countries, with coordination and logistical support from humanitarian agencies.
For many aboard, the journey means both relief and uncertainty.
"Now I am returning home," said Adolphe Ndimbo, one of the Congolese returnees. "I feel very calm and grateful to the organizations that made this possible. But many of us have come back with nothing. We don't even know where we will sleep."
The returnees are among tens of thousands who fled escalating clashes in eastern DRC between government forces and armed groups, including the March 23 Movement rebel group.
The violence, which intensified in 2025, displaced large numbers of civilians, many of whom sought refuge in Burundi and other neighboring countries.
According to the UNHCR, Burundi has hosted more than 250,000 Congolese refugees in successive waves since the onset of the crisis. As of late March 2026, about 109,000 remained in the country, including nearly 67,000 at the Busuma site alone.
Nearly 20,000 refugees have so far registered for voluntary return, the UNHCR said Thursday, with assistance packages planned to support reintegration upon arrival.
At the border, buses paused as trucks assembled on the Congolese side under the supervision of humanitarian teams. By nightfall, the convoy moved inland under escort, heading toward a transit center in Kavinvira, where returnees would stay temporarily before gradually heading for their home areas.
Local officials, however, emphasized that the operation remains cautious in scope.
"This first convoy includes around 468 people from 141 households," said Prospere Abiyo, head of the Congolese National Commission for Refugees Office in Uvira. "Initially, we planned for 1,000 returnees, but due to limited reception capacity, we reduced the number. Only those from relatively stable areas are being allowed to return for now."
While some returnees would go to nearby areas such as Fizi, also located in South Kivu, authorities remain hesitant to authorize movement to other places still considered insecure.
The conditions many refugees endured in exile underscored the urgency of return, even amid lingering risks. Their return, though tentative, reflects a fragile sense of hope -- that conditions in parts of eastern DRC may be stabilizing enough to allow displaced communities to begin rebuilding their lives.
"Life was very difficult," said Alice Furaha, another returnee. "It was an environment we were not used to. People were many, and it was hard to find toilets or even water. Some people began to die."
"We are very happy to return home," she said. ■
