In the midst of the M23 rebel group's offensive in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), nearly 11,000 Burundians, who were living in this neighboring country, chose to voluntarily return to Burundi between December 6 and 30, 2025. This return movement, documented in a recent report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlights an underestimated humanitarian crisis, marked by extreme vulnerability and urgent needs for shelter, hygiene and protection.

While Congolese refugees make headlines, these often-forgotten Burundian returnees face a precarious return to a country with limited resources, exacerbating local pressures. The IOM situation report, covering the period from December 6 to 30, 2025, estimates that these mixed cross-border movements affected more than 100,000 people in total, of which a significant share of returned Burundians.

The M23 offensive, which culminated in the fall of Uvira on December 10, pushed these families to cross the border through entry points such as Kansega, Gatumba and Rumonge. According to the IOM, 10,700 spontaneous Burundian returnees were registered by the Repatriation and Reintegration Action for Returnees (ARRR), with support for data centralization and transport to their communes of origin. These returns are concentrated in 19 identified communes, mainly in eastern Burundi, such as the Eastern Lowlands area.

Rapid assessments conducted by the IOM since December 9 among households that returned to Kansega, Gatumba and Rumonge reveal a grim picture of vulnerability. Among the households surveyed, 51 percent include at least one vulnerable person, with a predominance of women (51 percent) and minors (55 percent), increasing protection risks. Nearly 96 percent report lacking access to at least one vital service, such as shelter, drinking water, food, latrines or medical care.

Read also: Humanitarian emergency in Burundi: UNHCR launches $33 million appeal for Congolese refugees

Priority needs focus on shelter and non-food items. 81 percent report a lack of sleeping space, 70 percent lack hygiene items, and 50 percent lack blankets or mats. Constraints in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) persist, with only 30 percent having access to drinking water and 26 percent to latrines.

Protection alerts are emerging. 18 percent of households report child protection needs, and 9 percent report risks of gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual exploitation.

Some returnees are considering a return to the DRC once the situation stabilizes

The intentions of these returnees underscore the urgency of an appropriate response. 81 percent wish to join relatives in Burundi for community integration, while 19 percent are considering a return to the DRC once the situation stabilizes. However, 41 percent of households were separated from family members during the flight, compounding trauma.

Among specific vulnerabilities, 6 percent include pregnant or nursing women, and 3 percent include dependent elderly persons. The IOM also notes that 20 percent of households express a need for school integration for children, 7 percent need psychosocial support, and 14 percent need prenatal or general health care. These figures, based on field observations, could underestimate reality due to unregistered returns.

In response, the IOM strengthened its support to Burundian authorities. Between December 6 and 30, it supported the registration of returnees and facilitated 16 domestic movements, transporting 686 individuals to their return areas including 174 girls, 178 boys, 144 women and 190 men.

This flow of returnees is part of a broader context of regional tensions. The escalation of the conflict in December 2025, with the M23 takeover of Uvira, not only caused an influx of nearly 90,000 Congolese refugees, but also the return of these Burundians, often long-term refugees in the DRC.

Prosper Aobe