The perception of Congolese refugees in Burundi of the recommended durable solutions for them

Abstract

Burundi started to receive refugees during the colonial period in 1959. These were Rwandan refugees who were fleeing massacres in their country. Since then, the reception of refugees has never stopped and Burundi currently has 84,961 refugees, most of whom come from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a very large number of people, considering the size of Burundi and its population. These refugees come from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and are fleeing the insecurity caused by the armed groups that are multiplying there. This work is the result of field visits to the five refugee camps in Burundi, which resulted in a total of 90 interviews. The sample included both men and women, taking into account their social status, vulnerability, and seniority (former and new refugees). To collect the data, we used a voice recorder and a notebook at our disposal in which we put some details that needed clarification. We used Word, Excel, and SPSS to process the data. The analysis of these interviews shows the difficulties of the life of these refugees. The objective of this study is to analyze refugees' perception of durable solutions to their problem of exile. As these refugees do not expect to return home, most of them turn to resettlement. Only 37.8% have been selected for resettlement. Naturalization and repatriation, two other durable solutions, are not part of the choice of these refugees who are looking toward resettlement.