Highlights
• High level advocacy conducted by UNICEF and partners, combined with legal assistance to affected children, led to the safe release of all 44 children under 18 detained on charges of contempt of the head of state.
• In a context of rising food prices and vulnerability of families, UNICEF and partners began conducting mass door-to-door screening of malnutrition amongst children in six vulnerable provinces.
• Over 2,000 children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were referred to health centers for life-saving treatment over the past month.
Key figures
275,682 Refugees seeking asylum in neighboring countries (UNHCR, 26 July 2016)
61,268 Estimated internally displaced people in 7 provinces (IOM, 28 July 2016)
59% Of IDPs who are children (IOM, 28 July 2016)
4,551,292 Reported malaria cases (MOH, 21 July 2016)
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
The political, security and economic situation in Burundi remains volatile and continues to increase humanitarian needs. The devaluation of the Burundian Franc on the informal market has put additional pressure on the existing fragile economic situation of the country, in particular the purchasing power of the most vulnerable families.
The total number of refugees in neighboring countries (Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia) has increased to 275,682 while the number of internally displaced people registered in seven provinces is 61,268 (IOM, July 2016), of which 59 per cent are children. Among the displaced, 68 per cent reported leaving their homes for social and political reasons.
The number of Burundians deported from Rwanda stands at 4,300 people as of July 2016. UNICEF and partners are closely following up on all child protection issues, especially on separated and unaccompanied children and continue to monitor the overall situation to ensure children have access to essential social services. In collaboration with Terre des Hommes, seven unaccompanied children were reunited with their families. Terre des Hommes is also conducting follow up visits and will facilitate their return to schools or integration into vocational training programmes.
UNICEF, OHCHR, FENADEB (association of national child rights organizations) and partners continued to closely monitor and advocate on behalf of children accused of scribbling in their textbooks the photo of the President of the Republic, and charged with contempt from the head of state, leading to the release of all children. Initially, more than 700 hundred children were expelled from school, and some accused and detained facing fines and up to 5 years in prison. To date, at least forty-four children (32 boys, 12 girls) had been detained and all children have been released or temporarily released; however at least 10 youth (above 18) remain in detention.
Despite a slower increase in cases, reported malaria cases are still more than double those of previous years at the same period, with a cumulative total in 2016 of 4,551,292 cases of malaria and 2,228 deaths (MoH, 21 July 2016) compared to 2,560,958 cases and 1,137 deaths in 2015.
On a positive note, no new cholera case has been recorded since 21 April; the cumulative total of cholera cases in 2016 remains at 22 with no deaths reported. All patients were treated in a timely manner as a result of preparedness initiatives and supply prepositioning in all high-risk areas, made possible through DfID funding.