OCHA Situation Report
Burundi
Report for 20 - 26 August 2007


ACTIVITIES AND UPDATES

Health, UNITAID donates anti malaria combination treatment

On August 24, with logistical support from UNICEF, UNITAID officially 
donated 8.3 tons of anti malaria combination treatment to the Ministry 
of Health through WHO. This donation which is worth 785,105 US dollars 
will help in ensuring treatment for 722,953 malaria cases. The handover 
ceremony was attended by the representatives of UNICEF and WHO, the 
Ambassador of France and the Head of the French Cooperation in Burundi.

Assistance to Burundians expelled from Tanzania

Over the reporting period, the Government project for the reintegration 
of war-affected persons (PARESI) registered 585 persons (255 families) 
who arrived from Tanzania through the entry point of Kobero/Muyinga 
Province (465 persons/203 families) and through Mishiha/Cankuzo Province 
(120 persons/52 families). Since January 2007 until date, PARESI has 
recorded 7,161 expelled persons (3,521 families).

On August 22, actors involved in managing and providing assistance to 
expelled Burundians in the Kinazi/Muyinga Province and Munzenze/Cankuzo 
Province transit sites met to discuss improvements made in the 
registration of new arrivals. In order to limit fraudulent cases, the 
representative of PARESI and the Head of Burundian immigration services 
(PAFE) had initially stated that, only expelled persons bearing official 
documents from Tanzanian immigration services should be registered by 
the PAFE upon arrival at the Burundi frontier in Kobero.

Child rights, UNICEF supports participation of children for the 
promotion of their rights

With the objective to enhance communication on child rights issues, 
UNICEF organized a threeday training for 15 new child journalists. At 
the end of the training, UNICEF donated a set of equipment comprised of 
1 computer, 1 colour printer and accessories to the Ministry of 
Communication and 2 private radio stations namely African Public Radio 
(RPA) and Isanganiro. This equipment which is worth 6,089 US dollars 
will be used in training programmes for child journalists.

Education, support to Burundian returnee pupils

As part of efforts to support the return of Burundian refugee pupils and 
in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Refugee Education 
Trust (RET) fielded a mission to the Provinces of Muyinga, Ruyigi, 
Rutana and Makamba, which have been identified as Provinces with high 
rates of returns from Tanzania. The objective of this visit was to 
assess the needs of secondary schools in the four Provinces. The 
mission's findings mainly highlighted the need for more classrooms and 
the lack of sufficient space in dormitories to meet the requests of 
returnee and other vulnerable children; who are mostly in desperate need 
of accommodation facilities. RET will soon start the construction of 
additional classrooms for secondary schools in Mugano and Giteranyi/ 
Muyinga Province. In order to support the educational reintegration of 
Burundian children returning from exile, more funding is required to 
meet their school needs.

Over the last two years, RET's achievements have focused on preparatory 
activities for the return from exile of secondary school children. Among 
other services, these preparations include; rehabilitation, construction 
of more classrooms, distribution of school kits, the provision of 
accommodation facilities, kitchen utensils and water installation.

The decision by Tanzanian authorities to close secondary schools in 
refugee camps last June will result in a significant increase in the 
number of pupils in the secondary schools of Muyinga, Ruyigi, Rutana and 
Makamba Provinces which register the highest figures of returnees.

Update on repatriation, refugees

UNHCR registered 2,359 Burundian refugees who mostly arrived from 
Tanzania through the entry points of Mabanda/Makamba Province (914), 
Gisuru/Ruyigi Province (510), and Kobero/Muyinga Province (935). Since 
the beginning of the UNHCR cash grant implementation process which 
allocates 50,000 Burundian francs to every returnee upon arrival, the 
number of returns continues to rise. This increase is expected to 
continue even further with WFP's decision to distribute sixmonth food 
rations. Since January 2007, a total of 15,444 returnees have been 
recorded. So far, some 354,443 Burundians have returned to their home 
country under the UNHCR facilitated repatriation process which began in 
April 2002.

|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Province| 20-26 | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total |Total    |
|        | Aug.  | 2007  | 2006  | 2005  | 2004  | 2003  | 2002  |2002-2007|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Bubanza |      0|     69|    332|    233|    282|    356|    211|    1,483|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Buja    |      1|    121|    539|  1,328|  1,413|  2,053|  1,192|    6,646|
|Mairie  |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Buja    |      5|    197|    514|    389|    419|  1,707|    971|    4,197|
|Rural   |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Bururi  |    200|    830|  2,745|  1,092|  1,648|  5,268|  3,649|   15,232|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Cankuzo |    109|    693|  1,656|  1,599|  2,879|  8,361|  1,453|   16,641|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Cibitoke|      0|     79|  1,115|    631|    348|    937|    601|    3,711|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Gitega  |     15|    406|  1,694|  1,803|  2,730|  2,952|  1,257|   10,842|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Karuzi  |    113|    803|  3,945|  4,363|  5,925|  3,910|  1,882|   20,828|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Kayanza |     19|     88|    748|    631|  1,004|    736|    356|    3,563|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Kirundo |    144|   1301|  2,149|  8,545|  6,194|  4,147|  6,633|   28,969|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Makamba |    308|   3210| 11,063| 16,550| 11,975| 19,611|  4,418|   66,827|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Muramvya|      7|     88|    656|    613|    820|    949|    130|    3,256|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Muyinga |    620|   3858|  6,217| 15,932| 12,676| 11,988| 20,152|   70,823|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Mwaro   |      0|      2|     72|     39|     54|     62|     11|      240|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Ngozi   |     85|    451|  1,577|  2,679|  2,737|  1,758|  1,838|   11,040|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Rutana  |    393|   1255|  3,487|  4,006|  7,850|  4,312|  2,065|   22,975|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Ruyigi  |    340|   1993|  6,359|  7,674| 31,370| 13,247|  6,438|   67,081|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Without |      0|      0|     47|      1|      3|     12|     26|       89|
|address |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|
|Total   |  2,359| 15,444| 44,915| 68,108| 90,327| 82,366| 53,283|  354,443|
|--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------|



UNHCR transferred 874 Congolese refugees from Bujumbura to the 
Musasa/Ngozi Province transit centre bringing the total number of 
persons in this centre to 5,200. From January till date, 7,395 DRC 
refugees have been transferred to the Gasorwe refugee camp and Musasa 
transit center.

Update on food aid

In collaboration with its implementing partners, WFP distributed 493 
metric tons of food aid to 30,489 beneficiaries nationwide. With regards 
to the ongoing increase in the number of returnees, WFP in partnership 
with Caritas continue to deliver food aid in the 45 identified 
distribution points which are mostly located in parishes and in 72 other 
mobile points. Implementation of the sixmonth ration started on August 
15 with the distribution of two-month rations to returning refugees in 
Tanzania while the remaining four-month rations will be received in 
Burundi from September 15.

Food security and nutrition partners set up the integrated humanitarian 
phase classification tool for Burundi

With the overall objective of providing a quick, adapted and targeted 
response to the needs of vulnerable persons, several Government 
officers, UN agencies, national and international NGOs participated in a 
five-day workshop aimed at analyzing and setting up an integrated tool 
for the humanitarian phase classification (IPC). This tool will be used 
to assess the humanitarian situation with regards to food security and 
nutrition, while making planning and response delivery more effective in 
the short and long term. Prior to this workshop, the technical team 
comprised of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of 
Health, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, OCHA and ACF in its capacity as representative 
of the NGO network (RESO) were trained on IPC procedures.

Latest developments

On August 28, Mr Ross Mountain, DSRSG for the UN mission in the DRCongo 
(MONUC), made a short visit to the BINUB to meet with Mr Youssef 
Mahmoud, the ERSG, and part of the Country Team. The purpose of the 
visit was to share information and discuss the deteriorating security / 
humanitarian situation in Eastern DRC, and for the DSRSG to be briefed 
on the BINUB experience of developing a partnership with the Burundian 
Government for implementation of the Peacebuilding projects.

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


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