Between 10,000 and 15,000 people have crossed into Burundi over the last few days, fleeing escalating tension and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.
UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told a UN briefing in Geneva that most of those arriving are Congolese, mainly from the Bukavu area in South Kivu province, where the situation continues to deteriorate.
A smaller number of Burundian nationals have also returned to their country fleeing clashes, Saltmarsh added.
He said people are mainly arriving at the Gatumba border post close to the capital Bujumbura, "exhausted and traumatised, many separated from their families with little information on their whereabouts."
'Major concern'
There are also reports of thousands arriving through unofficial border points including along the Rusizi River near Rugombo, with reports of several individuals drowning, he said and added: "Conditions in the communities near the border are extremely dire, with a lack of shelter, water and sanitation facilities."
Although the UNHCR and its partners are providing life-saving supplies, including food, clean drinking water, and essential health services, he said that overcrowding in transit centres, with some currently hosting up to "four times" their initial capacity, is becoming a "major concern" as resources continue to be stretched, heightening tensions among the arrivals.
"The situation in the eastern DRC remains challenging, with recent clashes in South Kivu forcing more than 150,000 people to flee," the spokesperson said, noting at least 85,000 of these individuals are living in newly-created spontaneous sites for internally displaced people, where basic services are in short supply.
Saltmarsh said that, aside from Burundi, the number of people fleeing DR Congo across borders since the start of the recent escalation of conflict has remained "relatively low." However, he said that UNHCR teams in neighbouring countries are preparing to assist as needed.
Calls for 'immediate end to hostilities'
The new influx joins the 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers Burundi currently hosts, mainly from DR Congo, many of whom have been in the country for decades, according to the agency.
"We reiterate our call for an immediate end to hostilities in the DRC to prevent further harm to civilians and allow for lasting peace, and urge stronger efforts to ensure their safety and access to assistance," Saltmarsh said.
The UN human rights office, for its part, said the M23 rebels carried out "summary executions" of children in the eastern DR Congo as violence continues to grip the region.
"Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week," spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said at the briefing.
Children being armed
The office also documented reports of children being armed, raising further concerns about the ongoing conflict.
"We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons," Shamdasani said, urging Rwanda and the M23 rebels to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law.
The rights office is investigating additional allegations, including ill-treatment, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment of children, intimidation, and death threats, she noted.
Calling the situation "very chaotic," the spokesperson said there is an influx of information that the office has not yet been able to verify. However, she confirmed that three boys, estimated to be between 11 and 15 years old, were killed in Bukavu on Sunday during a confrontation with M23.
Killed by M23
According to the office, the boys had reportedly taken uniforms and weapons from an abandoned Congolese army camp. They were seen firing shots and looting stores before being confronted by M23 rebels.
"What appears to have happened is that they were asked to surrender their weapons, they refused to do so, and they were killed," Shamdasani said.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
