"A catastrophic humanitarian crisis has gripped a refugee camp in Bujumbura, eastern Burundi, as tens of thousands of displaced Congolese residents flee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid ongoing conflict and widespread violence. Footage captured on Friday shows hundreds of families, including many young children, sheltering in dire conditions at the Busuma Refugee Site in Buhumuza province. Displaced residents are seen crowding around the camp with tents pitched beside rubbish-strewn areas, and refugees struggling to survive amid the outbreak of several diseases. "Our main concerns are the lack of toilets, food, water, and also places of worship," remarked Congolese refugee KeanKasemeko. "The diseases that often attack us here include cholera, which is caused by a lack of drinking water. The disease is also caused by a lack of trash cans where we can put our waste," he added. Another refugee, Byamunge Dorcas, highlighted the critical shortage of supplies, describing how the worsening situation has left her child without help. "There is famine, disease, and there isn't even a large supply of medicine. Look at what they gave me at the clinic. As you can see, my child is dying. Can these medicines really cure malaria? See for yourself," she said. The humanitarian crisis has worsened due to what authorities describe as a 'severe overload' of displaced people, resulting in food, medicine, and water supplies running out. "The water issue is really a big challenge, because when we brought them here, this site was intended to relieve congestion at the Musenyi site, and at the time, there weren't many people. Suddenly, there was a massive influx," explained Fiacre Nkunzimana, part of the National Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. "We don't have any water; we only have two UNHCR tanker trucks," he continued. "Given the number of refugees we have in the camp, this amount of water is insignificant." According to United Nations reports, since the start of December 2025, over 100,000 Congolese refugees have sought asylum in Burundi, doubling the number of displaced residents in the country since the conflict in eastern DRC began. A health crisis has been declared at multiple refugee sites, with cholera outbreaks resulting in at least 53 deaths. High rates of malaria and severe malnutrition have also swept through the camps. Fighting has continued in the eastern region despite a US-brokered ceasefire and economic deal between the DRC and Rwanda. The DRC claims the M23 are backed by Rwanda, which that country has always denied."