Burundian Laborers Flee Congo's "M25" War Zone

A complex and escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is forcing hundreds of Burundian day laborers to abandon their jobs and return home. Fulgence Ndayizeye used to cross the border from Burundi into the DRC daily. He worked as a bicycle taxi driver in the Congolese town of Kamvivira. His earnings supported his family. Now, like many others, he has fled. The violence involves the M25 rebel group, the Congolese military, and allied militias. This has trapped civilian laborers in the middle. Kamvivira, once a busy trading center, is now described as a "ghost town." Local civil society groups report that over 800 Burundian cross-border workers have returned home since late June. They cite direct fighting, indiscriminate shelling, and general insecurity as the reasons. The M25, also known as the March 25 Movement, controls key roads and territories. The group says it is fighting to protect a specific ethnic community. The Congolese government labels it a terrorist organization. For laborers like Ndayizeye, the war means the sudden loss of vital income. "I was living well from my job," he said. "Now, I have nothing to do in Burundi." Their departure also damages the local Congolese economy, which depended on their labor.