Cholera kills eight as DR Congo refugees in Burundi face ‘chaos’: source
At least eight Congolese refugees have died of cholera, an aid worker said Wednesday, warning that thousands faced ‘catastrophic’ conditions after fleeing to Burundi following the latest advance by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group. Cholera kills eight as DR Congo refugees in Burundi face ‘chaos’: source Some 80,000 people who poured into Burundi to escape the militant advance launched in early December are now facing chaotic conditions in refugee camps that are lacking aid, the worker said. “The situation is catastrophic… because we’re facing tens of thousands of refugees who desperately lack everything food, shelter, water, medicines”, said the aid worker who requested anonymity, claiming Burundian authorities want to keep the figures secret. In refugee camps, “you’re met with an indescribable stench, with chaos because some have spent days under the sun and rain, with aid virtually nonexistent,” he said, urging the international community to act before the camps “become places of death”. Some 150 cases of cholera have been recorded so far, the aid worker said. After seizing the major Congolese cities of Goma …