Burundi — humanitarian situation

Burundi confronts escalating humanitarian pressures driven by climatic shocks, chronic food insecurity, and regional displacement dynamics. The emerging Super El Niño 2026–2027 presents heightened risks to vulnerable populations, prompting early warning and anticipatory action measures WFP. Food security conditions remain precarious amid funding shortfalls that threaten core assistance programming. The country also faces human rights concerns with continued violations occurring in a context of widespread impunity, particularly as the electoral cycle advances toward the 2027 presidential election (CIVICUS, FIDH, GCR2P). Meanwhile, Burundi achieved a significant public health milestone by successfully interrupting polio transmission, confirmed through independent technical assessment GPEI. Humanitarian assistance for refugees in Burundi remains severely underfunded, with critical implications for food security. WFP requires USD 35 million urgently to sustain refugee food assistance and prevent acute food insecurity through August 2027, yet faces imminent pipeline breaks from October and ongoing ration cuts WFP. The home-grown school meals programme similarly confronts substantial funding gaps for the 2026/2027 cycle. IOM requires USD 17.6 million in 2026 to support 133,700 individuals including internally displaced persons, international migrants, refugees, and host communities IOM. Regional dynamics compound these challenges, with neighboring countries hosting displaced Burundians while managing their own humanitarian caseloads. The broader East African context shapes Burundi's humanitarian landscape through both climate and disease vectors. The strengthening El Niño episode, forecast to persist through early 2027 with 95 percent probability of reaching strong or very strong intensity, threatens widespread flooding and food security disruptions across the region FAO, FSNWG, IGAD. The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has recorded 5,001 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths as of mid-August, represents an additional public health risk given cross-border population movements IOM. These overlapping crises strain an already fragile humanitarian response environment characterized by significant resource gaps and competing priorities.