DRC repatriates 1,593 ''irregular'' Burundians

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Some 1,593 Burundians were escorted on Wednesday to the border post at Gatumba (northwest of Bujumbura) by the Congolese authorities on the grounds of "irregular stay" on their territory, reports public radio.
 
It is unclear at the moment whether this is a reciprocity measure shortly after the expulsion of dozens of "visa-free" Congolese students in Burundi.
 
The repatriated persons lived outside the Burundian refugee camps established in eastern DR Congo.
 
These refugees are currently estimated at 47,000, and had fled the 2015 electoral violence in their country.
 
In September 2017, at least 36 Burundian refugees from Kamanyora camp, a town in South Kivu (east), were killed and 124 others injured in scuffles with the Congolese army.
 
Burundian refugees opposed an attempt to deport four of their people to the country of origin.
 
A Congolese officer also died in the confrontation with the Burundian refugees.

-0- PANA FB/IS/SOC/KND/VAO 18March2020