Hundreds of Congolese refugees living in Burundi’s Busuma camp have begun returning home under a voluntary repatriation program organized by the U.N. refugee agency.
The operation began Thursday in Burundi’s Buhumuza province, where refugees packed their belongings and boarded buses back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Busuma is Burundi’s largest camp for Congolese refugees. Many of its residents fled violence in eastern Congo, especially after M23 rebels captured Uvira in December.
UNHCR said only refugees returning to areas considered safe are eligible. The agency also said the process is strictly voluntary.
More than 8 million people have been displaced by violence in eastern Congo, while more than 1 million Congolese refugees are being hosted across Africa, according to the United Nations. Burundi hosts about 100,000 of them.