Brussels, 08/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 June, the European Commission announced the release of an additional €3 million in humanitarian assistance for the increasing number of Burundi refugees in Tanzania.
These funds will come from the ECHO budget (European Commission humanitarian aid and civil protection service), which will contribute to the most urgent humanitarian needs: shelter, water and sanitation, as well as health assistance and the protection of these vulnerable sections of the population who have been obliged to flee their country since the political crisis in Burundi last April.
According to the United Nations, 99,213 people, mainly women and children, have had to flee the country and it is feared that this number could increase. These people have been subject to acts of intimidation, threats and the fear of violence.
Tanzania is the main destination for these refugees, with 51,603 of them fleeing there, followed by Rwanda (29,907) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (10,044). The number of people having found refuge in Uganda has also increased over the past few weeks and now stands at 7,659. 70% of these refugees have arrived since the middle of last April.
In a press release, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said: “The wave of refugees fleeing Burundi has been ongoing and increasing in intensity in the last weeks. This is an extremely worrying development in an already fragile region. The additional humanitarian aid we are releasing today is a strong signal that the European Union stands by the people of Burundi and the Great Lakes region”. A mission to the region headed by Claus Sorensen, the director of ECHO operations, is planned for 9-12 June, which will assess the humanitarian situation and response provided by the Commission.
This additional funding brings the total amount of humanitarian aid provided in 2015 to the Great Lakes Region to €52 million. (Aminata Niang).