In late December 2025, hundreds of Burundian laborers were finally able to return home after being trapped in the DRC by M23 rebel offensives. The workers were stranded for weeks as the Rwandan-backed rebels seized strategic border areas, cutting off vital transit routes. This escalating conflict has overwhelmed local infrastructure and prompted the UN to extend its regional peacekeeping mandate into 2026. While these laborers found temporary relief, the broader humanitarian crisis persists with hundreds of thousands still displaced across eastern Congo.
Date: December 22, 2025. Source: ipsnews.net