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Lusenda Refugee Camp is a refugee camp established in 2015 for Burundian refugees, located in the Lusenda area of the Tanganyika sector, within Fizi Territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [1] [2] The camp is managed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). [2] [3] [4]
The establishment of the camp followed the outbreak of a political crisis in Burundi in March 2015, triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term, which was widely contested by the opposition and initially regarded as unconstitutional. [5] As a result of the ensuing unrest, the first official convoy of Burundian refugees entered Congolese territory on 1 June 2015. [5] According to UNHCR reports, approximately 14,300 Burundians fled to the DRC as political refugees during this period. Lusenda Refugee Camp was created to host part of this refugee population. [5] In 2015, approximately 7,000 people were living in Lusenda refugee camp. [5] Refugees International reported in April 2016 that this number had increased to over 16,000 Burundians. [6] By April 2018, UNHCR indicated that the camp was hosting more than 30,000 Burundian refugees. [7]
