Part of Gihembe refugee camp in Rwanda
Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries are crossing to Rwanda escaping from the “declining protection of environment in the region”, the UN says.
The UN refugees’ agency UNHCR says the latest update on arrivals in Rwanda are 42 Burundian refugees from DR Congo and Tanzania received in September.
There have been reports of Burundi government agents infiltrating refugee communities in Tanzania and tormenting them.
For DR Congo, more than 30 refugees were killed in mid-September by security forces in what the survivors say was an unprovoked attack on their camp.
Apart from security concerns, UNHCR says some of the refugees relocating to Rwanda are citing “family reunion” – as their families are already here.
There are now 87,517 Burundian refugees registered in Rwanda as of October. Some 456 new arrivals were received in September.
The UN agency says the average number of new arrivals was 15 individuals per day during September.
