Off the wire
• 5.6-magnitude quake hits waters off Taiwan: CENC  • Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, April 27  • Austrian parliament passes tougher legislative asylum package  • Simeone banned for three games  • Ghana's PPI falls to 14.3 pct in March  • Indonesia's largest private bank posts 9 pct profit growth in Q1  • Croatia, Turkey agree to boost economic cooperation  • Chinese premier vows further security cooperation with Indonesia  • Blast in NW Turkey injures 6  • China urges more communication with U.S. on steel issue  
You are here: 　 Home

Burundians continue to flee their country one year after crisis: UNHCR

Xinhua, April 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday almost 260,000 Burundians have fled to nearby countries since the Burundi crisis one year ago.

"And thousands more could join them over the rest of the year unless a political solution is found and a descent into civil war averted," said a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued in Dar es Salaam.

The statement said Burundians continued to arrive in neighbouring countries, including Tanzania, albeit in smaller numbers in recent weeks as it becomes harder to cross borders.

Tanzania, which hosts the largest number of Burundian refugees, has been admitting an average 130 people a day. The bulk of the newly arrived Burundian refugees, which was more than 71,000, were living in the overcrowded Nyarugusu refugee camp in Kigoma region.

"Many asylum seekers or new arrivals report human rights abuses in Burundi, including torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, intimidation, forced recruitment by militia, killings and extortion," said the statement.

It added: "To date, 259,132 people have fled the country, and we are planning our humanitarian response based on a figure of some 330,000 refugees by year's end."

The UN refugee agency appealed for continued international support to help ease the tension and encourage an inclusive dialogue.

UNHCR is seeking almost 175.1 million U.S. dollars for its Burundi crisis operations this year, but has received only 47.8 million dollars to date, or some 27 percent.

"This means we are struggling to provide even the basics such as shelter, household items and latrines. The provision of services such as specialized counselling, care for the disabled and elderly, protection of the environment and even primary health care may also fall by the way side," said the statement.

The situation in Burundi one year on was still tense and marked by sporadic violence, which has killed more than 400 people.

Burundi plunged into bloody chaos from April 2015 when the country's President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his intention to vie for the presidency for a third five-year term, which he went on to win during the controversial elections held in July 2015. Endit