Burundi

Needs remain high in Burundi, including for displaced people, returnees, refugees and asylum seekers.  Food insecurity worsened in the last quarter of 2023 due to weather-related extreme events affecting crops and livelihoods, rising inflation, recurrent fuel shortages and poor access to seeds and fertilizers, among others. 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects at least 1.23 million people will be in IPC Phase 3 or above. This includes 105,000 people in Phase 4 and 1.13 million people in Phase 3 between January and March 2024. While efforts to help food-insecure communities recover have been ongoing, climatic shocks, including El Niño weather conditions continue to impede progress. 

Extreme weather-related events will remain a major cause of internal displacement and will likely continue to endanger lives and affect the living conditions of people through 2024. Returnees from Tanzania are also putting additional pressure on depleted resources and basic social services. 

The ongoing conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), refugees and asylum seekers will continue to arrive and require life-saving assistance. In addition, Burundi enters a pre-electoral year in the context of fragile regional dynamics, including the war in the DRC and the closure of the border with Rwanda.  

The people of Burundi will need humanitarian support through 2024 to alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition due to El Niño effects on crops and livelihoods, persistent epidemics (long-running cholera outbreak), inflation and shortages of basic commodities, including fuel and other livelihood disruptions including border closure. 

In 2024, humanitarian response will focus on providing vulnerable people with food shelter, social and protection services through in-kind and cash assistance. Partners will prioritize those who are food insecure, returnees and people affected by extreme weather events, including internally displaced people and those affected by or at risk of epidemics. Priority areas will be the northern, eastern and western provinces of Burundi and all zones bordering Lake Tanganyika.

To increase the resilience of affected populations to climate shocks, humanitarian assistance will be closely linked to national programmes supported by local and international development partners. Humanitarians will continue to build the capacity of first responders in line ministries.