The United Nations repatriated the first group of Congolese refugees from Burundi on Thursday, marking a cautious return home.
Thousands had fled earlier violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, driven across borders by escalating conflict last year.
Eastern DRC witnessed renewed turmoil as the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized vast territories, intensifying regional instability significantly.
In December, fighters captured Uvira near the Burundian border, deepening fear and triggering a mass civilian exodus across borders.
The takeover followed a peace agreement brokered by the United States, yet violence quickly undermined fragile hopes for stability.
According to UN refugee officials, tens of thousands fled into Burundi as fighting surged and insecurity spread rapidly.
After international pressure forced M23 to withdraw, some displaced Congolese began cautiously returning toward their communities across the border.
UNHCR’s Brigitte Mukanga-Ono said tripartite talks between Burundi and DRC paved the way for organised voluntary repatriation efforts.
An initial group of 470 refugees boarded UN-chartered buses at 9:00 am Thursday heading toward the Gatumba border crossing.
A Burundian official confirmed the group crossed at around 6:00 pm, with trucks carrying their belongings ahead of them.
They added that all individuals successfully crossed back into Congo, completing the first coordinated return operation of its kind.
Further convoys are scheduled twice weekly, each carrying around 1,000 refugees under the UN-managed return programme framework.
In February, the DRC and Burundi reopened the key Kavimvira-Gatumba crossing, previously shut amid escalating cross-border fighting.
Officials observed growing numbers of Congolese returning home, despite ongoing hardship in overcrowded and under-resourced refugee camps in Burundi.