More than 50 Congolese refugees who fled renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have died in neighbouring Burundi, the U.N. refugee agency told Reuters late Friday.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said 53 deaths had been recorded. It said 25 people died in a cholera outbreak, while six others died from anaemia and other complications linked to malnutrition.
UNHCR said it was working with Burundi’s health ministry and other partners to determine the causes of the remaining deaths.
More than 100,000 Congolese have sought refuge in Burundi since clashes near the border escalated in early December and rebels seized the town of Uvira in South Kivu province, UNHCR said.
South Kivu Governor Jean Jacques Purusi described conditions for refugees in Burundi as “misery” and called it “a crisis completely forgotten by the international community and media.”
Congo’s ministry of state and social affairs said it was leading a humanitarian mission to support displaced Congolese in Burundi, including deliveries of food, medicines and other essential items.
A spokesperson for Burundi’s National Office of Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons did not respond to calls or a text message seeking comment.