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Over 3,000 households face hunger in Burundi's Bubanza province: official

Xinhua, January 19, 2017 Adjust font size:

Over 3,000 households in four of the five districts of Bubanza province, in the north of the Burundian capital Bujumbura, are facing acute hunger and need urgent food assistance, the governor of Bubanza said Wednesday.

"For a couple of weeks, over 3,000 households in four districts are facing acute hunger. They do not expect any production during the next season because all their crops are dry due to climate change. They are in need of urgent food assistance," Bubanza Governor Tharcisse Niyongabo said.

According to him, affected districts include Gihanga, Mpanda, Rugazi and Bubanza.

Niyongabo added that citizens in all villages of Gihanga district are facing hunger.

"All crops in those affected areas are completely dry and citizens will not harvest anything. We call on the government (of Burundi), local and international organizations to come to the rescue of hunger victims," Niyongabo said.

He indicated that Gihanga district was the main producer of cereals mainly maize as it could even supply maize to the east African country's northern provinces of Ngozi and Kayanza.

Two months ago, hunger was declared in the northern province of Kirundo where over 4,500 households had been forced to leave their homes.

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza had even called for "national solidarity" for the victims.

Drought was also at the origin of hunger in that province (of Kirundo) that used to be the country's main producer of food items. Endit