The UNICEF family in Burundi and beyond is deeply saddened by the loss of our dear colleague Jacques Roy, Country Representative of the WFP in Burundi. Jacques passed away suddenly on 31 August in Bujumbura of natural causes. Our deepest condolences to his family and the WFP team in Burundi.
Highlights
• Following advocacy by UNICEF and partners, the remaining nine students that had been held on charges of contempt of the head of state in the context of schoolbook vandalism, were released.
• UNICEF partner FENADEB and Terre des Hommes secured the release of 21 boys from detention. The boys are now benefiting from temporary care, with family tracing ongoing.
• The Ministry of Health declared a cholera epidemic on 3 August 2016. To date, 180 cases have been reported, with one death.
• 4,890 children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were referred to health centers for life-saving treatment during community mass screening.
Situation Overview and 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 (Tanzania, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia) has increased to 286,036, while the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) registered in seven provinces is 61,168 (IOM, July 2016), of which 59 per cent are children. Among the displaced, 69 per cent reported leaving their homes for social and political reasons.
A new epidemic of cholera started on 27 July in Burundi, and was officially declared by the Minister of Health (MoH) on 3 August 2016. As of 29 August, the number of cholera cases has risen to 180. With one death, case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.56 per cent. Cases are concentrated in three health districts out of 46: Kabezi, Bujumbura Mairie and Bujumbura Rural. The response is being led by MoH with the support of WHO. Other partners are also engaged, including Médecins sans frontières (MSF) Belgium and Switzerland for the health sector, and UNICEF and the Burundi Red Cross (BRC) for the WASH and C4D sectors. Daily meetings take place at MoH to monitor the situation, progress, challenges and to strengthen coordination.
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 5,035,086 cases of malaria, and 2,434 deaths (MoH, 19 August 2016), compared to 2,854,507 cases and 1,292 deaths same period in 2015.
Since the end of July, children living in the streets have been subjected to arrest, detention and forced return to their home villages, with no reintegration plan and support. UNICEF and partners documented 75 such cases, primarily boys in Bujumbura Mairie, Ngozi and Gitega provinces. Through the technical committee on children living in the streets, collaboration with government officials is ongoing to locate the children, provide appropriate protection support and develop an accompaniment plan for each child. On 25 August, the association of national organizations with programmes focusing on child rights, FENADEB, secured the release of 10 boys from detention, and on 27 August Terre des Hommes secured the release of 11 boys, all of whom are now benefiting from temporary care from UNICEF partners Fondation Stamm and FVS-Amade, with family tracing ongoing.