Burundi: Fleeing violence, families face the agony of separation

For Daniela Mapendo Santana, who fled Goma and now lives in the Musenyi camp, the journey to safety was marked by fear and heartbreaking separation.

“I have three children. Two have stayed behind, and the third is the one I carry,” she says.

“I left Goma because there was crackling gunfire—people were killing each other, there were bombs.” After escaping to Bukavu, Daniela and her family boarded a boat, hoping to find peace on the other side. But danger followed.

“When we arrived in a neighborhood called Essence, there was a crackle of gunfire. We dispersed—and I couldn’t find my husband and two children.”

Now in Burundi, Daniela’s wish is a simple one: “What I would like to do is live with my children and my husband.”