On December 14, 2025, the AFC/M23 coalition fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo helped more than 500 Burundians return from the Uvira territory after days of being stranded.
The Burundians who had gone to seek a livelihood in South Kivu province were very worried because the Burundian government closed the Kavimvira and Vugizo borders while they were still in Congo, when the AFC/M23 entered the city of Uvira on December 9.
One of them, returning through the Kavimvira border, told the media: "I was stuck here because of the fighting. Sometimes we had to hide. Some of our brothers left us in the city of Uvira, I am happy to return safely."
His colleague said, "I was not the only Burundian businessman in this city, there were many of us with the same problem. Our parents were worried about our lives. But we couldn't say we were running away, we were returning home while we waited to see if it was possible for us to return."
AFC/M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said the decision to help Burundians return was based on discussions between the group and the Burundian government, explaining that they had not closed the borders.
He said, “These are our fellow Africans. Burundians wanted to return to their country. They worked in the DRC, they lived in the DRC, but now they want to return. Our border is always open, but Burundi’s is closed, they didn’t want them to return. We asked them to open it for humanitarian reasons so they could return to their country.”
In Burundi, there are more than 20,000 Congolese who fled when the AFC/M23 entered the city of Uvira. The Burundian government is not opening the border for those who want to return.
