‘I was terrified’: refugees who fled DRC to Burundi recall deadly river crossing

Red Cross officials distribute essentials to displaced people at displacement centre in Burundi. Photograph: Carlos Mureithi/The Guardian

Atosha winced as she recalled the 15 minutes she spent in the fast-flowing Rusizi River, which separates the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Burundi, on a Friday night in late February.

“I was terrified,” the 23-year-old said of her journey of about 130 metres, spent clinging to a makeshift float alongside a young man whom she had paid to take her to the Burundian side. “It was my first time crossing that river and I had no option.”