BUJUMBURA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 10,000 asylum-seekers from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) crossed into Burundi on Feb. 14-16, the Burundian interior minister has said.

"From Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, 2025, Burundi had already received nearly 10,000 persons fleeing the fighting taking place in neighboring eastern DRC," Interior, Community Development, and Public Security Minister Martin Niteretse told a press briefing Monday.

He said those fleeing the fighting entered Burundi through Gatumba, in the district of Mutimbuzi in Bujumbura province, or through river Rusizi at certain places in the provinces of Bubanza and Cibitoke.

The Burundian government has decided to gather the asylum-seekers in transit sites of Gihanga in Bubanza province and in Cibitoke province. They will be identified before being sent to refugee camps, Niteretse said.

The identification is mainly aimed at separating possible soldiers from civilians, identifying sick persons and those who are fit, and children, to continue assisting them separately, he said.

"We're collaborating with the UNHCR to adequately address problems faced by asylum-seekers," Niteretse said, referring to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Enditem

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