The United Nations (UN) has authorised the evacuation of families of its international staff from Burundi following violence in DR Congo, according to a letter seen by AFP Friday.

The Rwanda-backed M23 group has in recent weeks seized two major cities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), giving the armed group a major foothold in the mineral-rich region since taking up arms again in late 2021.

The group has continued its advance and the fighting has moved closer to the Burundian border, with the small Great Lakes nation — which has supported Kinshasa with some 10,000 troops under a previous agreement — increasingly sounding the alarm.

The UN authorised the evacuation of Bujumbura-based families of its staff last week, according to a letter dated February 21 from the UN’s Department of Safety and Security and seen by AFP.

Several flights have been chartered since then, a UN employee with knowledge of the departures told AFP Thursday on condition of anonymity.
https://guardian.ng/news/un-authorises-evacuation-of-staff-families-from-burundi/