ReliefWeb

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

1,9 million Number of children in need (HNO 2018)

3,6 million Number of people in need (HNO 2018)

396,173 Population seeking asylum in neighboring countries (UNHCR, January 2018)

175,936 Internally displaced people in 18 provinces (IOM, January 2018)

Highlights

• 560 children and adolescents living and working in the streets, 42 girls and 518 boys, have been arbitrarily arrested and detained since December 2017. All of them have been released following joint advocacy efforts from UNICEF and partners.

• About 8093 Congolese, more than half children, have fled increased fighting in South Kivu (DR Congo) for the Provinces of Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac in Burundi. The Humanitarian Country Team, under the leadership of UNCHR, is providing urgent assistance. An additional influx of 7,000 people is expected by the end of April 2018.

• UNICEF Burundi is facing a serious funding shortfall, with only 7 per cent of 2018 HAC funding available. Without additional funds, UNICEF will not be able to address the essential needs of children and women in Burundi.

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

The sociopolitical situation in Burundi continues to deteriorate and exacerbate movement of population and humanitarian needs. A total of 396,173 refugees, the majority of whom children (54.6 per cent), have found refuge in neighboring countries (mainly in Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC and Uganda), a slight increase of 5,281 people since the last report in December 2018. The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) registered in eighteen provinces continues to decrease and stands now at 175,936 of which 58 per cent are children (IOM, January 2018). The UNHCR-led repatriation is proceeding as planned with 13,104 people (including 7,338 children) returning to Burundi from September to February 2018. An estimated 57,000 people have also spontaneously returned.

8,093 Congolese have arrived in Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac Provinces following the surge of violence in Eastern DRC since the end of January. Two thirds of these refugees have now been transferred to five transit centers and have been provided assistance from UNHCR and partners, including UNICEF. About one third of the Congolese recently arrived have remained in host communities and have not requested refugee status. In addition, 1,441 Burundians have also returned from DRC. A planning figure of an additional 15,000 people has been agreed by the interagency coordination task-force, led by the UNHCR for a 3 months’ period.

UNHCR has carried out a screening of 500 children inside the transit centers. 2.6 per cent are severely malnourished and the global malnutrition rate (GAM) reaches 14.6. These children have been treated and UNICEF continues to monitor closely the situation with UNHCR to cover any gap.

On a positive note, Burundi has had no reported case of cholera case since the end of October 2017. Two suspected cases among those coming from DRC were confirmed negative.

In addition, the measures implemented by the Health and C4D partners in response to the malaria epidemic in 2017 continue to have a positive impact, with a sharp decrease of malaria cases and deaths these last three months. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) data, the cumulative number of malaria cases reported during the first six weeks of 2018 is 634,599 cases with 287 deaths, which is half the cases reported for the same period in 2017 (1,285,696 cases and 577 deaths). Despite the encouraging trend, the fight against malaria remains a priority for the Health Sector.