Burundi: Nearly 1.5 million people need humanitarian aid – UN

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, indicated Monday that 1.5 million in Burundi need urgent humanitarian aid amounting to $194.2 million.

The agency made the announcement as it launched the country’s 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan.

The agency indicated that the needy include 1.1 million most vulnerable. OCHA called for an urgent mobilization of financial resource, warning that the situation, if unattended, will expose vulnerable population to climate change, disease and protection risks, and jeopardizing repatriation efforts and livelihoods.

“Breaking the cycle of epidemics will be difficult without an emergency health response and increased access to water, sanitation and hygiene,” the agency added.

The central African country is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters have led to significant internal displacement, the agency said.

The covid-19 pandemic, other pandemics, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have exacerbated existing humanitarian needs, affecting vulnerable populations such as refugees and internally displaced persons.