KINSHASA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The humanitarian situation in Burundi has reached a "critical point" due to the massive influx of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persistent violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Thursday.
Since early December 2025, more than 84,000 people have crossed into Burundi to escape the escalating clashes in the eastern DRC province of South Kivu, bringing the total number of Congolese refugees and asylum seekers hosted in Burundi to over 200,000, according to the UNHCR.
Transit centers and informal reception sites in Burundi are operating well beyond their capacity, in some cases by nearly 200 percent, forcing many families to live in precarious conditions, the UN agency said.
On the DRC side, violence, shelling, and drone attacks in South Kivu have forced more than 500,000 people to flee their homes, often multiple times.
The UNHCR reiterated its call for an end to hostilities in the eastern DRC, urging all parties to honor their commitments to protecting civilians and ensuring safe, unhindered humanitarian access.
With needs far exceeding available resources, the agency has launched a funding appeal of 47.2 million U.S. dollars for the next four months to assist around 500,000 internally displaced persons in the DRC and nearly 166,000 refugees in neighboring countries, including Burundi. ■