Brussels, 31/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 31 May, the European Commission announced that €10 million in humanitarian aid has been disbursed to help the growing number of displaced Burundians. The funding will enable shelter to be provided and protection of the most vulnerable to be ensured inside the country, as well as the living conditions of refugees to be improved in neighbouring countries (Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda). Over 260,000 people are reported to have left Burundi since April 2015 - over half of them children.
“The neighbouring countries' hosting capabilities have been stretched to the limit, with the situation in Tanzania especially worrying. The additional EU funding will help get essential aid to those in need and improve refugees' living conditions, notably in Tanzania”, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides says in a press release.
Tanzania is currently hosting nearly 140,000 Burundian refugees, who are mainly being sheltered in the Nyarugusu camp - one of the biggest and most overcrowded camps in the world. Additional camps have been opened in Mtendeli and Nduta. The risk of infection and epidemics is high.
The additional €10 million announced by the Commission on 31 May brings the total EU humanitarian aid for the Burundi crisis in 2016 to €22 million, and to €36.2 million since May 2015. It is the decision of President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term of office at the elections on 25 April 2015 that has caused this sustained crisis in Burundi. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)