HIGHLIGHTS:
As of 18 August, Mahama refugee camp has officially surpassed 50,000 refugees. It currently hosts 50,013 Burundian refugees, making it the largest refugee camp in Rwanda, more than twice the size of the country’s largest Congolese camp (Kiziba Camp, at 19,000 refugees).
UNHCR is continuing to prioritize the construction of semi-permanent shelters in Mahama as the camp grows every day. In addition to receiving new arrivals on a daily basis, there are currently some 1,400 refugees remaining in the reception centres throughout the country. Urban refugees are also increasingly requesting to be relocated to the camp due to the high cost of living in the cities. In Mahama, 69.4% are still living in emergency shelters (tents and hangars), which are starting to deteriorate