Busuma, Burundi camp
Updated: Apr 29, 2026
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Esperance Sakina Hatari, a Congolese refugee living at the Busuma camp.
4th March 2026, Busuma, Burundi
Notes:
Esperance Sakina Hatari is from Mutarule, a village in the South Kivu. She arrived in December 2025 after fleeing violence in the DRC that forced more than half a million people to leave their homes.
She now spends her days making charcoal near the entrance of the camp, hoping to earn a little money.
“It’s not easy for us refugees because we left everything behind when we fled. We left with nothing. We came with our children, that’s all. Some of us have no food, no shelter and no blankets. We sleep on the ground, and the children are dying of cold and hunger,” said Esperance. “My husband and I got separated. He is there, and I am here alone with the children. Many families have been separated.”
Like Esperance and her children, many families arrived with almost nothing. Countless refugees still do not know the fate of relatives who remained in Congo.
Photographer: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham
Copyright: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham for the ICRC
Shooting Date: 03/04/2026
Location: Busuma, Burundi
Esperance Sakina Hatari, a Congolese refugee living at the Busuma camp.
4th March 2026, Busuma, Burundi
Notes:
Esperance Sakina Hatari is from Mutarule, a village in the South Kivu. She arrived in December 2025 after fleeing violence in the DRC that forced more than half a million people to leave their homes.
She now spends her days making charcoal near the entrance of the camp, hoping to earn a little money.
“It’s not easy for us refugees because we left everything behind when we fled. We left with nothing. We came with our children, that’s all. Some of us have no food, no shelter and no blankets. We sleep on the ground, and the children are dying of cold and hunger,” said Esperance. “My husband and I got separated. He is there, and I am here alone with the children. Many families have been separated.”
Like Esperance and her children, many families arrived with almost nothing. Countless refugees still do not know the fate of relatives who remained in Congo.
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