Hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled to neighbouring countries in 2015 due to the political and security crisis surrounding President Pierre Nkurunziza's third term in office. Many political opponents, members of civil society and the press went into exile in Belgium. Relations between Burundi and Belgium, one of its main bilateral partners in development cooperation, deteriorated significantly. However, since the election of President Evariste Ndayishimiye in 2020, several meetings have taken place between Burundian and Belgian diplomatic and political representatives. In December 2023, both countries welcomed the normalisation of their bilateral relations and signed a new cooperation programme, the first since direct aid was suspended in 2015. In April 2025, Maxime Prévot, the Belgian Foreign Minister, made an official visit to Burundi — the first by a member of the Belgian government in over ten years. However, in September 2025, the director of Enabel in Burundi was declared persona non grata after sharing a press article critical of the Burundian government on social media.
Belgium is home to a sizeable Burundian diaspora that is divided, and sometimes polarised, between government supporters and opponents. By devising a National Diaspora Policy, the government is attempting to involve Burundians living abroad in the country's economic development, notably through the annual organisation of a Diaspora Week in Bujumbura. The government's objectives include increasing financial transfers from the diaspora to Burundi. Through its branches in Belgium, the Service national de renseignement (SNR) also monitors the Burundian diaspora to identify potential external threats.
The law regulating migration in Burundi stipulates that anyone entering or staying in Burundi in violation of its provisions will face a prison sentence of between six months and two years. Notably, it stipulates that individuals must possess a valid travel document to exit the country and must pass through an official border crossing. Cedoca has found no legal provision that criminalises applying for international protection and/or staying abroad.
Between early 2018 and the end of July 2025, 41 voluntary returns took place from Belgium to Burundi. These were organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Between 2018 and the end of July 2025, 14 Burundian nationals were turned back at the Belgian border, including four who had applied for international protection and two who were forcibly repatriated under police escort. The Immigration Office (Office des étrangers, OE) and the IOM state that they never disclose to the authorities of the country of origin that a returnee has applied for international protection in Belgium.
The consulted sources cited one case only of a Burundian national returning to Burundi from a Western country. Residing in Sweden and returning for personal reasons, this person was arrested upon arrival at the airport in September 2025 for making critical remarks about the Burundian authorities during a flight transit.
No report published by a Burundian or international organisation on the human rights situation in Burundi in 2024 or 2025 mentions any other repatriation to Burundi from Belgium or other Western countries, nor does any other source consulted by Cedoca, including local and international media. No sources report difficulties encountered upon return to Burundi by nationals of that country returning from Belgium or other Western countries by air, solely because they have stayed abroad and/or submitted an application for international protection there, or for other reasons.
According to Burundian sources, some returnees from neighbouring countries have encountered problems. Many returnees face challenges in several areas of reintegration, such as access to justice, education, health, housing, land and livelihoods. Several sources also point to the risks of “persecution” and “repression” for repatriated refugees. The Burundian sources consulted cited several cases of returnees who were victims of abuse. However, Cedoca is not in a position to identify the reasons behind these abuses or establish whether they are linked to the refugees' previous exile in a neighbouring country.
Policy
The policy implemented by the Commissioner General is based on a thorough analysis of accurate and up-to-date information on the general situation in the country of origin. This information is collated in a professional manner from various, objective sources, including the EUAA, the UNHCR, relevant international human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional literature and coverage in the media. When determining policy, the Commissioner General does not only examine the COI Focuses written by Cedoca and published on this website, as these deal with just one aspect of the general situation in the country of origin. The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.
When assessing an application for asylum, the Commissioner General not only considers the actual situation in the country of origin at the moment of decision-making, he also takes into account the individual situation and personal circumstances of the applicant for international protection. Every asylum application is examined individually. An applicant must comprehensively demonstrate that he has a well-founded fear of persecution or that there is a clear personal risk of serious harm. He cannot, therefore, simply refer back to the general conditions in his country, but must also present concrete, credible and personal facts.
There is no policy paper for this country available on the website.