SITUATION OVERVIEW
Following the official nomination of the current President Pierre Nkurunziza on April 25, 2015 as presidential candidate by his party (CNDD-FDD) for a controversial third term, opponents have declared his candidacy as unconstitutional. Demonstrations have now been ongoing since April 26 and have led to unrests, and in certain cases deadly attacks and shootings in the capital as well as in some countryside provinces. The majority of local and national news sources have been closed.
On 31 May 2015, an emergency summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State on the situation in Burundi was held. The main outcome was to propose to the Government of Burundi (GoB) to postpone upcoming elections for no less than a month and half. Demonstrators declared their disappointment with regards to outcomes and urged supporters to resume demonstrations. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union will further discuss the situation in Burundi on 13 June 2015.
The current political climate in Burundi and subsequent unrest and violence have led population movement in and out of the country with considerable humanitarian impact for Burundi and the neighbouring countries. In this context, humanitarian agencies in Burundi have developed a contingency plan to ensure that preparedness measures are in place if the situation deteriorates.
The plan outlines how humanitarian agencies will coordinate to save lives by providing necessary protection and assistance for people in need, including shelter, non-food items (NFIs), health assistance, food, water, and sanitation and hygiene.