RUYIGI — Thousands of Congolese refugees sheltering in Burundi have crossed back into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the withdrawal of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels from Uvira. About 470 people in the latest group returned after fleeing violence in and around Uvira nearly four months ago.

Some of the returnees had been living in the Busuma refugee camp in Burundi's Buhumuza province, where they faced shortages of food and other supplies. The camp was established in December 2025 to accommodate Congolese civilians fleeing the rebel advance on Uvira.

The repatriation was overseen by a representative of the Congolese Embassy in Burundi. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said the operation would continue for weeks, with at least two bus convoys each week.

Burundi currently hosts more than 200,000 Congolese refugees, including 66,000 in the Busuma camp, according to UNHCR. At least 33,000 Congolese refugees had returned home as of March, according to the U.N. Some refugees began returning voluntarily that month before the organized convoys were established.

M23 rebels seized wide areas of North Kivu and South Kivu on the border with Rwanda last year before withdrawing from Uvira under international pressure. The rebel advance on Uvira had prompted Burundi to close the Gatumba border crossing. The crossing reopened after M23 withdrew, and local government has since been restored in Uvira.

Government forces in eastern Congo are fighting more than 100 armed groups, the most potent of which is M23. U.N. experts have reported evidence of Rwandan troops fighting alongside M23 rebels. Rwanda says its military involvement in eastern Congo is a defensive measure to protect its territory from Hutu rebels responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.