Burundian refugees rest with their belongings on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Kagunga village in Kigoma region in western Tanzania, as they wait for MV Liemba to transport them to Kigoma township, May 18, 2015. Burundi's embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza sacked his defense and foreign ministers on Monday, five days after surviving an attempted coup by generals opposed to his bid for a third term in office. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Burundi’s refugee crisis continues to weigh heavily on the region, with over 257,893 Burundians still living in limbo across precarious camps in the East African Community (EAC), according to new data released on July 6, 2025.
The latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) place Burundi among the many nations still suffering the long-term fallout from unresolved geopolitical tensions.
Despite a relative return to domestic stability since the failed coup of May 2015, the legacy of unrest continues to displace hundreds of thousands of Burundians.
According to the report, Tanzania remains the largest host, sheltering 103,780 Burundian refugees, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (51,595), Rwanda (50,136), Uganda (42,433), and Kenya (9,949).
Many of these individuals have endured years of hardship, family separation, and stagnant living conditions with little hope of resettlement or return.
One of the most pressing cases is that of 45,000 Burundian refugees living in the Lusenda and Mulongwe camps in South Kivu, DRC. These individuals have reportedly gone without food assistance for more than six months.
Sharangabo Léopold, president of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights in Refugee Camps (CDH/VICAR), raised alarm over their situation, stating: “These people are caught between regional conflicts and international indifference.”
The worsening conflict in eastern DRC, particularly Rwanda’s alleged military involvement in the region, has only intensified the burden on already fragile refugee communities.
The lack of consistent aid, shrinking donor engagement, and dwindling international media attention have left displaced Burundians further isolated.
While global displacement figures hit a record 123.2 million, the UNHCR faces mounting criticism over its capacity to effectively respond to protracted refugee situations like Burundi’s.
Observers and humanitarian groups are urging renewed attention to these “invisible crises,” where lives are suspended in uncertainty, and international fatigue threatens to erase their plight from the global conscience.
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