OCHA Situation Report
Burundi
2 - 8 July 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ACTIVITIES AND UPDATES

UNHCR launches new measures to promote voluntary repatriation.

In an effort to promote the voluntary return of Burundian refugees to 
their home country from the camps in northwestern Tanzania, the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in consultation with the 
Governments of Burundi and Tanzania, as well as key donors, UN Agencies 
and operational partners; is launching a new measure which consists of 
allocating an individual cash grant amounting to Burundian Francs 50,000 
per returnee (see annex 1: press release below). This additional measure 
will complement the assistance currently being provided upon arrival in 
Burundi which comprises of household items and four months food ration.

Meanwhile, due to preparations of the cash grant process, return convoys 
were postponed during the reporting week. Some 154,000 Burundian 
refugees are currently in Tanzanian camps. Since the beginning of the 
facilitated repatriation process in 2002, UNHCR has registered 343,199 
Burundian returnees.

Update on Burundians expelled from Tanzania

Expelled persons continue to arrive from Tanzania. During the week under 
review the Government project for the reintegration of war-affected 
persons (PARESI) registered 240 persons (124 families) expelled from 
Tanzania: 136 at the entry point of Kobero (Muyinga) and 104 in Mishiha 
(Cankuzo). Since January 2007, PARESI has recorded 4,157 expelled 
persons (2,198 families).

UNICEF in collaboration with the Burundian Red Cross (BRC) society 
delivered non food aid to expelled persons sheltered in the transit 
center of Kinazi in the province of Muyinga. The assistance provided 
comprised of: clothing for children and adults, 500 blankets, 500 jerry 
cans, 500 buckets, 90 boxes of soap, 500 plastic sheetings and 500 mats.

OCHA conducted a two-day mission in Makamba to assess progress made in 
setting up a new transit site for expelled persons from Kigoma 
(Tanzania) who are expected to arrive at any time. A site was identified 
in Musenyi in the commune of Mabanda, 7 Km from the entry point of 
Mugina. According to the BRC coordinator in Makamba province, 
construction of the site should be completed by the end of July. The 
International Committee for the Red Cross has visited the site in 
preparation for the construction of water points.

Update on food aid distribution

Over the reporting week, WFP delivered 293 MT of food assistance to 
29,197 beneficiaries. As mentioned in the previous weekly report, no 
target distributions are being organized during this crop harvest 
season. Based on the scenario of the return of at least 60,000 to 80,000 
Burundians from the northwestern refugee camps in Tanzania between July 
and December of this year, the WFP Country Office has revised the 
quantity of food needs upwards which will enable the provision of six 
months food rations to returnees, whilst maintaining the level of 
assistance as planned for the other programmes - food for work, school 
feeding, nutrition and assistance to refugees. It should be noted that 
under the retained scenario, WFP will assist 430,000 most vulnerable 
persons with seed protection rations and 480,000 through targeted 
distributions between November and December.

Assistance to orphans and other vulnerable children

The national association Famille pour Vaincre le SIDA (FVS/AMADE) has 
issued certificates in cooking skills to 25 orphans and vulnerable 
children who dropped out of school. This training which started in mid 
November 2006 and ended on June 30th 2007 was attended by 29 orphans. It 
is worth noting that 20 of the 25 who successfully completed the 
training have already found a job with either a hotel or a restaurant in 
their province of origin, Bururi.

Agriculture / Food Security

Experts from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture 
(IITA), the regional Research Institute for Agriculture and Zoology 
(IRAZ), FAO, the National institute for agricultural research (ISABU), 
the University of Burundi and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) NGO visited 
the provinces of Cibitoke and Makamba in May 2007 to enquire into the 
existence of a banana bacterial disease known as Banana Xanthomonas Wilt 
(BXW). The mission collected banana samples which were sent to the 
Central Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom for analysis. Results 
confirming the existence of BXW were released last week. The existence 
of BXW was first highlighted by a team of researchers conducted by CRS 
in late October 2006. Measures to combat this devastating banana disease 
include the complete destruction of every affected banana tree, the 
strict observance of hygiene for tools and hands after cutting an 
affected plant, the limitation of movements of people and animals to 
avoid spreading the bacterium; only safe shooting must be planted.

UNICEF assists vulnerable persons

Over the reporting week, UNICEF carried out the distribution of 
humanitarian assistance to vulnerable persons in the provinces of 
Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza. In Bujumbura Rural, a total of 580 iron 
sheets and 45 kgs of nails were distributed for the construction of a 
primary school through Dalla Parte Degli Ultimi (DAPADU) NGO. 
Furthermore, 100 treated mosquito nets and 200 pieces of cloth were 
given to HIV/AIDS patients in the treatment center run by Gruppo 
voluntariato Civile (GVC) NGO in the commune of Kabezi in Bujumbura 
Rural. Additionally, 481 pieces of plastic sheetings were supplied to 
vulnerable persons including widows and older persons in the commune of 
Mpanda in the province of Bubanza.

Latest developments

Assistance to war-affected persons

As part of continued assistance for war-affected persons, the Minister 
of National Solidarity officially launched the construction of 1,200 
houses on July 10th in the province of Bubanza. Identified sites are 
Muyange, Buhomba, Mutamba and Nyarunazi in the province of Bubanza. A 
ceremony took place in Muyange where 300 houses will be built.

Annex 1: Press Release

Dar es Salaam, Wednesday, 4 July 2007

Cash Grants for Returning Refugees to Burundi

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 
consultation with the Governments of Burundi and Tanzania, as well as 
key donors, UN Agencies and operational partners is launching a new 
measure in its efforts to promote the voluntary repatriation of 
Burundian refugees to their home country. The additional measure will be 
a cash grant to every registered refugee returning from the four 
Burundian camps in northwestern Tanzania.

The individual cash grant amounting to Burundian Francs (BIF) 50,000 per 
returnee will complement the assistance presently being provided upon 
arrival in Burundi namely household items plus four months food ration. 
It is envisaged that the grant will further assist returning refugees to 
restart life back home where the socio-economic conditions continue to 
be difficult.

The cash grant will be available on a "first come first served basis" - 
subject to the availability of funds. For those registered refugees 
returning from Tanzania, the cash grant programme will commence on 10 
July. The cash grant will be distributed to returnees through a network 
of local cooperatives (COOPEC) upon arrival back in Burundi. All 
measures for proper implementation and monitoring have been put in place 
both in Burundi and Tanzania.

Judging by the pace of return in past years, UNHCR anticipates an 
increase in the number of Burundian refugees wishing to go home during 
the period July - November following the end of the school year, rainy 
season and harvest. The UNHCR 2007 planning figure for voluntary 
repatriation has been set at 60,000 returns from Tanzania. Since the 
beginning of the year 3,539 Burundians have repatriated from Tanzania 
under the auspices of UNHCR.

The announcement of the introduction of the additional measure has been 
welcomed by both the Tanzanian and Burundi governments as a timely 
initiative by UNHCR and its partners to promote the voluntary 
repatriation of Burundian refugees and to facilitate their initial stage 
of reintegration.

There are currently 153,000 Burundian refugees in the camps in 
northwestern Tanzania.  Since UNHCR started to facilitate the return of 
Burundians in 2002, some 300,000 Burundians - mainly returnees from 
Tanzania - have come back home.

Public Information Unit UNHCR
Representation Office
Tel (022) 215 00 75
P.O. Box 2666 Dar es Salaam
Fax (022) 215 28 16
paulr@unhcr.org www.unhcr.org

For more information:
  E-mail: ocha-burundi@un.org,
  Tel: +257 22 205000 Ext. 5542

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