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Thousands of Burundian refugees in Rwanda seek resettlement in West

Xinhua, August 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

A growing number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda are desperately struggling to secure a visa to travel to Western countries in the hope of starting a new life.

According to the Rwandan government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 71,00 asylum seekers from Burundi arrived in the country over the last three months following the political violence in April.

After fleeing violence in his native country, Josee Niyitanga is among the young Burundian refugees living in Mahama refugee camps in southeastern Rwanda who are determined to leave Rwanda as soon as possible.

"Most of my family are scattered across Australia. I have a cousin in Canada so we don't mind where to move, but we have to move because life is becoming too difficult here," said Niyitanga before he boarded a bus to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to secure her visa to Australia.

With savings running dry, incomes unable to match inflation, more stringent visa requirements, and a return back home ruled too risky by most, the number of Burundian families seeking resettlement from Rwanda and some other east African countries to Europe, North America and Australia is rising fast.

The UNHCR said that a total of 144,000 Burundians have registered as refugees in neighboring countries including Rwanda since the country's political turmoil started in early April.

According to the UNHCR, civil unrest in the central African country was sparked after Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term. The ensuing violence has led to mass displacements in the country.

Unable to find work in Rwanda, young Burundian refugees have started moving to Kenya and neighboring Uganda, where several Western nations have established embassies, in a move to secure a visa to migrate to the West, where they hope to improve their living conditions.

Niyitanga rules out the possibility of returning to Burundi.

"We have no intention of going back to Burundi. Some other families have occupied our houses and we are told the security situation is still worrying," he told Xinhua. Endi