Highlights
• Successful advocacy by UNICEF and partners led to the transfer of 60 boys detained and held in adult prisons throughout the country to reeducation centers for children in Rumonge and Ruyigi.
• 31 children accused of participation in armed groups last year completed a 3-month vocational training programme and received kits to facilitate their community reintegration.
• Following torrential rains and flooding that affected roughly 4,200 people, UNICEF and the Burundi Red Cross are constructing water supplies and sanitation facilities and distributing essential items including soap and jerry cans to affected families.
Key figures
5,720 Children receiving psychosocial support in Child Friendly Spaces in May (UNICEF, 31 May 2016)
265,092 Burundi refugees seeking asylum in neighboring countries (UNHCR, 29 May 2016)
3,625,778 Reported malaria cases (MOH, 19 May 2016)
76 % Unfunded UNICEF Burundi 2016 HAC: US$16.54m (UNICEF, 31 May 2016)
Humanitarian Needs
The political and security situation in Burundi remains volatile and continues to impact the humanitarian situation. The total number of refugees in neighboring countries has increased to 265,092, while the number of displaced people registered in four provinces is 41,752 (IOM, April 2016), of which 58 per cent are children. Among the displaced, 67 per cent reported leaving their homes for social and political reasons.
More than 1,600 Burundians were deported in mid-May from Rwanda. Preliminary assessments from UNHCR and OHCHR show that about 70 per cent of these deportees are women and children who were living illegally in Rwanda. They were given the choice to go to refugee camps or return to Burundi, and have chosen the latter. The Burundi Red Cross (BRC) in collaboration with IOM, Care, Concern Worldwide and World Vision have already provided non-food items to facilitate their reintegration. UNICEF is closely following up on all child protection issues, especially for separated and unaccompanied children and continues to monitor the situation to support access to essential social services.
Torrential rains and flooding which occurred mid-May in Gatumba affected 755 households (or about 4200 people), half of which are women and a quarter of which are children under 5. This new emergency was well managed by the National Emergency Platform in collaboration with line Ministries, and with the support of IOM, BRC, UN agencies and NGO partners.
According to Ministry of Health (MoH) data, on 19 May, a total of 3,625,778 cases of malaria and 1,716 deaths were reported (compared to 1,468,021 cases and 645 deceased during the same period in 2015). Partners are closely monitoring the situation and a newly arrived WHO consultant will assist the MoH in the causal analysis of this epidemic. UNICEF is working with the Health Management Information System (HMIS) team to improve data analysis. No cholera cases were reported in May. The last cholera case was reported on 21 April with a cumulative of 22 cases in 2016. All patients have been treated and released from the hospital.