OCHA-Burundi Situation Report 9 - 15 Feb 2004

Humanitarian Activities
1. Support to vulnerable populations: EC new plan

In 2004, the EC will provide €15 million through ECHO to reduce mortality and morbidity particularly among the most vulnerable groups of the Burundian population (IDPs, returning refugees, women and children). ECHO-funded activities will target food security and nutrition through therapeutic feeding and targeted distributions of food, seeds and tools for families with malnourished children, IDPs and other vulnerable groups; health, by supporting malaria-control national programmes and other epidemic diseases and will work to ensure low-cost access to essential health services; water and sanitation, by working to ensure safe water supplies, improve sanitation systems, and hygiene education to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases. Funds will also be provided to support psychosocial services for traumatised victims in Burundi.

2. Demobilization of child soldiers continue

On 13 February, the National Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration with the support of UNICEF demobilized 29 child soldiers, who had served in the regular army. The children were transferred to their home provinces by partner NGOs responsible for the support of the children and their families during the reintegration phase. Since January, the project has also facilitated the demobilization of approximately 100 children serving in the ranks of CNDD-FDD movement of Jean Bosco Ndayikengurikiye and the civil defence force "Guardiens de la Paix." UNICEF's activities aiming the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers are funded by the Belgian and Dutch Governments and the Belgian National Committee for UNICEF.

3. Update on cholera

As of 10 February, 36 cholera cases, including 10 children, have been admitted in the health centre of Gihanga and the hospital of Bubanza. Most of them are from Bubanza and Gihanga communes in Bubanza province and only two cases are from Buganda commune of Cibitoke province. One death has been reported. The NGO "Catholic Relief and Development" (CORDAID) provides additional beds, medical supplies and communication equipment to health facilities to boost treatment capacities of health facilities in Bubanza. CORDAID also carries out campaigns on good hygiene practices and use of safe water for the population. In the Mutimbuzi commune (Gatumba zone) of Bujumbura Rural province, the health authorities have recorded an outbreak of acute diarrhoea with strong suspicions of cholera. As in Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces in January 2004, the outbreak followed the interruption of potable water supply decided by the public water supply company (Regideso) due to unpaid bills. UNOCHA has kept close contact with the local administration looking at how best mitigate risk of epidemic.

4. Refugee returns

As of 12 February 2004, UNHCR reports 9,125 facilitated and 897 spontaneous returnees. Total: 10, 022 Y.T.D.

Security

5. General

Bujumbura Rural province: over the last week, fighting has been reported between army and the FNL (Agathon Rwasa) which has caused significant displacement of the population. Reported toll of the fighting in Muhuta commune is 11 killed (10 rebels and 1 soldier), 1 soldier wounded and 3 rifles seized. In Nyabiraba commune, around 4,000 households have been displaced due to the precarious security situation in the area.

Bururi province: In Rumonge commune (Karonda zone) 3 persons have been killed, one wounded in an attack by armed men. The population blamed the attack on the "People's Armed Force (FAP), FROLINA armed branch.

Political

6. Former rebels continue to arrive from DR Congo

Thirty-seven former rebel fighters from the CNDD-FDD faction led by Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye arrived on 10 February in Bujumbura from Lubumbashi in the DR Congo. The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) provided transport to the group. On 9 February, other 53 ex-rebels loyal to Pierre Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD arrived in Bujumbura and were also escorted by MONUC officials. Ibrahima Dia, a MONUC political adviser, told IRIN that Ndayikengurukiye requested that his fighters be repatriated and sent to cantonment sites prior to demobilisation.

7. Plea for new constitution and electoral law

On 10 February, the 17th session of the Implementation and Monitoring Committee (IMC) opened in Bujumbura. The SRSG, Ambassador Berhanu Dinka, said that "the transitional government of Burundi should ensure that the country has a new constitution as well as an electoral law to enable it to move to democracy within the time stipulated in the 2000 Arusha peace accord." A committee member, Jean Baptiste Mukuri, told IRIN that the IMC was mandated to draft a constitution if the government failed to adhere to the accord's requirement to enact a new constitution during the second phase of its three-year transition. In January, Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye gave all political parties a preliminary project on the electoral law to approve and asked them to reach an agreement by March 2004.

8. Latest events

During his official visit to Ireland, Mr Térence Sinunguruza, minister for External Relations and Cooperation announced that he expected a comprehensive ceasefire by FNL rebels by end of June.

Coordination

9. Coordination activities

As part of the global effort to better prepare partners involved in the assistance to war affected people in Burundi, including returnees, UNOCHA is carrying out a survey within the IDP site disseminated throughout the country. The survey is run in close collaboration with the Ministry of Resettlement and Reinsertion of IDP and Repatriates and the National Commission for the Reinsertion of War-affected People. Training of the 50 surveyors was completed on 13 February.

The habitat working group, co-chaired by UNOCHA, the Belgium Cooperation and the National Commission for the Reinsertion of War-affected People (CNRS) held its coordination meeting on 13 February. The first phase of the group's activities concentrates on housing needs assessment countrywide in preparation for the return of both IDP and refugees to their zones of origin. The group agreed that a general approach focusing on vulnerabilities is more appropriate to identify the most urgent needs among IDPs and returning refugees. Participants also agreed to use the government's National Plan for Reinsertion as reference for group's work.

10. Contact group

The meeting was chaired by the UNHCR representative and acting Humanitarian Coordinator on 11 February. UNHCR briefed the participants on the recommendations from the last meeting of the Tripartite Commission in Dar-es-Salaam [21-23 January].

11. GTS meeting

Held on 9 February. Participants discussed displacement of population from Bujumbura Rural Province. People who were displaced at Mont Sion parish in Bujumbura city following rebel shelling in Gihosha zone (5 February) have returned to their homes.

For Information
Adélaide Habonimana, Information Assistant
PH: (257) 910 196 Email: habonimanaa@un.org