OCHA Situation Report
Burundi
23 - 29 October 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Activities and Updates

Arrival of the of emergency drugs:  Another 44 tones of drugs donated by
the European Union in order to mitigate the immediate gaps further to
the Government's decision to make maternal health care and medical care
for children under five years free of charge arrived on 22 October. The
material was received by representatives from UNICEF and the Ministry of
Public Health. It will be distributed in close collaboration with all
NGOs working in the health sector in the various provinces. The delivery
represents the last batch of the 143 tons of medical supplies to provide
relief to 890 children under five years and 32,650 pregnant women.

Update on cholera outbreak: Over the reporting week, provincial health
authorities reported 41 cases of cholera in Bujumbura Mairie including
one death and 20 in Bujumbura Rural. Despite the occurrence of new
cases, a decrease in the number of new cases was noted compared to the
previous week. This was achieved thanks to coordinated interventions by
the Ministry of Health supported by UNICEF, WHO, Medecins Sans Frontiers
? Belgium (MSF-B), Gruppo Voluntarii Civile (GVC), and the International
Rescue Committee (IRC) to combat the epidemic.

As of 29 October, a total of 169 cases in Bujumbura Mairie and 70 in
Bujumbura Rural have been registered. Meanwhile WHO reported two
confirmed cases which were admitted to the Cibitoke hospital and one
suspected case to the Rugombo health centre.

Food security: Parallel to the distribution of seeds and tools,
FAO/Emergency Coordination and Rehabilitation Unit set up model fields
for the multiplication of quality seeds. These agricultural
rehabilitation programmes focus on assistance to the vulnerable
households in order to help reach a speedy resumption of their
activities and thereby achieve gradual improvement of the overall food
security. These quality seeds will be redistributed to vulnerable
families to feed the community solidarity chains. This programme is
implemented nationwide directly by FAO/ERCU through seeds centres
managed by the provincial department of agriculture (DPAE), community
based associations supervised by DPAE, national and international NGOs
operating nationwide. Crops under the current multiplication programme
include potatoes, beans, soy bean, peanuts, rice and maize.

Update on assistance to Burundians expelled from Tanzania:  As of 22
October, the reintegration governmental project (PARESI) reported 646
persons who have been registered at Kinazi transit centre. In order to
address the issue of fraud, a coordination meeting gathering the
provincial Governor's office, OCHA, PARESI, the Burundian Red Cross and
NRC was held on 26 October in Muyinga. In order to address the issue,
participants recommended that new arrivals be registered at Kobero
reception centre instead of Kinazi transit centre. Only persons who have
been identified as expelled Burundians are transferred to Kinazi where
they receive assistance provided by PARESI with the support from WFP and
UNHCR through their partners CRS, IRC and NRC.

Refugee returns: Over the reporting week, UNHCR reported the return of
793 Burundian refugees from Tanzania. Since the beginning of the year, a
total of 32,958 refugees have returned to Burundi.

Assistance to traumatized persons: As a result of the decade-long war,
many persons have been affected mentally. With the objective of bringing
assistance to the community level, HealthNet-TPO undertook capacity
building sessions in psycho-social assistance for community-based
representatives in areas where its programme is being implemented.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, HealthNet-TPO
organized a training session in mental health in Rutana for nurses from
public health facilities in Rutana, Makamba, Karuzi and Bururi.

Update on Rwandan Asylum Seekers: During the reporting week, 16 persons
were repatriated to Rwanda. Meanwhile, the refugee status determination
process should be finalized by the end of November including the appeals
process. Since the beginning of the operation, 141 Rwandan asylum
seekers out of around 20,000 were recognized as refugees.

Coordination, Protection and Security

Security: Several cases of armed banditry were reported over the period
under review. On 22 October, a group of armed bandits staged an attack
in Mparambo in Rugombo (Cibitoke) and stole household goods. A separate
attack by unidentified armed persons on a police station was reported on
24 October in Kibenga colline in Rugazi commune (Bubanza). Possible
victims and damage remained unknown. On the same day in Nyamabere
(Mpanda), five alleged bandits looted some households. In Muramvya, a
man was killed in an armed attack by looters on 21 October.

Protection: Burundian refugees (who fled the country in 1972 to
Tanzania), returnees and their former neighbours met in order to
exchange on several points including progress of the peace process, land
issue management as per the Burundian legislation, recovery of property
by refugees and internally displaced persons and peaceful resolution of
conflict. On the whole, around 40 persons from every commune
participated in the discussions which were supported by the Commission
for Land and other Goods and the NGO ACCORD.

ONUB conducted a training of soldiers from the 5th military region on
human rights and will proceed with a similar sessions for around 30
policemen and magistrates from Makamba.

Contact Group meeting: The Contact Group meeting was held on 25 October
and chaired by Youssef Mahmoud, the Humanitarian Coordinator.
FAO/Emergency and Rehabilitation Coordination Unit, CRS and WFP briefed
participants on the seeds distribution campaign covering agricultural
season 2007A.

Provincial coordination: The coordination meeting for Muramvya was held
on 26 October. OCHA briefed participants on the humanitarian situation
prevailing two months before the end of 2006.

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