Burundi sees its largest number of refugees arriving in decades during Congo's fighting

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Burundi is seeing its largest influx of refugees in decades as tens of thousands of people flee the fighting in neighboring eastern Congo, the U.N. World Food Program said Monday.

The number of registered refugees who need food assistance has doubled to over 120,000 since January as Congolese government troops fight Rwanda-backed rebels who now hold two major cities, WFP said in a statement. Many of the refugees are women and children.

The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the M23 rebels seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by the city of Bukavu in February. Bukavu is less than 30 miles from the Burundi border.

The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda met last week in Qatar for their first direct talks since the seizures.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with over 7 million people displaced over the years.

WFP warned that available funds for its operations in Burundi are “stretched to the limit” and likely will be exhausted in June. It said it might have to "suspend food assistance entirely” from July or earlier.