Reference :
V-P-BI-E-00221
Date :
04/03/2026
Caption :
Eastern Burundi, Buhumuza province, Busuma, a refugee camp hosting people from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Anastasie Cubwa is a Congolese refugee living in the camp with her husband Joseph and their children Maombi, Reheme, Solange, and Janvier.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
Anastasie has already been displaced several times. “We used to live in the Bwagiriza camp. We spent seven years there. We were tired of the difficult living conditions and decided to return home. The crisis took us by surprise when we arrived home,” said Anastasie. “We heard bombs. At first, we could only hear them in the distance and thought nothing would happen to us. But then the bombing moved closer. One bomb killed some people; another was dropped on a hill; and another landed behind the houses where we were. I took the children and we left.”
Since early 2025, clashes have intensified in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing hundreds of thousands of people across the region. Tens of thousands have fled to Burundi, where more than 80,000 Congolese refugees are seeking safety in overcrowded camps such as Busuma, Musenyi and Cishemere. This sudden influx has placed significant pressure on Burundi’s limited resources. The ICRC is working in collaboration with the Burundi Red Cross to provide essential humanitarian services, such as water trucking and disinfection operations. Together, they are also striving to reunite families separated by the conflict by helping them restore contact with their loved ones.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
6336x8448
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
