Burundi Crisis

Burundi Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Burundi is a landlocked country in Central Africa, bordering Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country gained its independence from Belgium in 1962. Gitega is the political capital of the state, and Bujumbura is the commercial capital. Burundi covers an area of 27,830 square kilometers. In 2026, the country has an estimated population of about 14.7 million people. The Central African nation is one of the least developed countries in the world.

The humanitarian situation

The overall humanitarian situation in Burundi remains precarious, and serious human rights violations continue to be reported. Burundians face a humanitarian crisis driven by food insecurity, recurrent climate-related shocks, widespread poverty, and persistent economic vulnerabilities. The country faces a triple burden of high climate risk, widespread poverty, and insecurity. Although large-scale political violence has declined compared with earlier periods, the security environment remains fragile, while significant numbers of Burundians continue to live as refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries.

In the years following the deadly clashes surrounding the 2015 presidential election, more than 500,000 men, women, and children fled Burundi. Since 2017, at least 255,000 Burundian refugees have returned to their home country. Return rates have accelerated since 2025.

The closure of two refugee camps in Tanzania has led to an uptick in returns. Between January and August of 2026, approximately 99,000 Burundians returned, most of whom came from Tanzania. This is a significant increase compared to the 2022–2025 period, when the annual return average was between 20,000 and 25,000 people. Key needs of the returning refugees include shelter, food assistance, access to land and livelihood opportunities, and access to basic services such as healthcare, education, water, and sanitation.

As of October 2026, approximately 249,000 Burundians remain refugees in neighboring countries. Most were forced to flee after the disputed elections and ensuing violence in 2015. Burundian refugees are primarily hosted by Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Kenya. This total includes approximately 42,000 Burundian refugees who have lived in Tanzania for decades and no longer receive assistance. They are not included in official figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

As of September 2026, Burundi hosted at least 134,000 refugees, including 133,000 from DRC. The Burundian government generally cooperates with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations to provide protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, and asylum seekers. 

Approximately 102,000 people are internally displaced within Burundi, about 90 percent due to extreme weather events related to climate change (as of September 2026). Displaced people continue to face significant humanitarian needs, particularly regarding shelter, food, water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and access to sustainable solutions.

As fighting continues in eastern DR Congo, people are still crossing the border into Burundi. Following the occupation of major Congolese cities, such as Goma and Bukavu, by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in 2025, the country saw its largest influx of refugees in decades. Some 90,000 people fled the DRC, with most crossing into Burundi.

While food insecurity has recently declined following the harvest season, vulnerabilities persist, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.  Between June and September 2026, approximately 1.02 million people experienced acute food insecurity at crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) or worse. An additional 6 million people were classified as food insecure at stress levels (IPC Phase 2).

Food security conditions are expected to deteriorate in the coming months as climate-related hazards exacerbate the situation, with El Niño-related impacts forecast to further worsen conditions in late 2026 and into 2027. The situation is driven by high food prices, fuel shortages, and limited access to seeds and fertilizers.

Additionally, malnutrition persists. As of midlast year, an estimated 484,000 children under the age of five were acutely malnourished, including 85,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Additionally, approximately 73,000 pregnant and lactating women were suffering or were expected to suffer from acute malnutrition.

Burundi continues to bear the brunt of climate-related natural disasters, including torrential rains, floods, landslides, and strong wind. The country is among the least prepared to respond to climate-induced shocks.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than one million people in Burundi were affected by climate-related natural disasters between 2018 and 2024, particularly torrential rains, floods, and storms, which resulted in the displacement of over 196,000 people. 

The humanitarian situation is expected to worsen later this year and into 2027. El Niño is predicted to bring above-average rainfall during the rainy season from October to December, which could reach up to 90 percent above normal levels. This will likely result in an increased risk of flooding and landslides.

In 2023-2024, El Niño intensified the effects of human-induced climate change, affecting more than 370,000 people and forcing more than 50,000 to flee their homes due to natural disasters, including torrential rains, flooding, landslides, and overflowing lakes. Thousands of homes and schools were damaged, as well as a significant portion of Burundi's food crops. The floodwaters also increased the spread of waterborne diseases.

Recurring disease outbreaks put a strain on the public health system. The risk of disease outbreaks remains high, requiring sustained surveillance and response efforts for multiple health emergencies. The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the neighboring DR Congo presents an ongoing risk of cross-border transmission.

Additionally, as of September 2026, more than 2,000 cholera cases have been reported. While response efforts are underway, limited access to WASH services remains a key challenge. Mpox and measles cases were reported in 2026.

As there is no humanitarian response plan for Burundi this year, the number of people in need of assistance is not publicly available. In 2024, approximately 600,000 people required humanitarian assistance, including nearly 320,000 children. In 2023, 1.5 million people, including approximately 946,000 children, relied on humanitarian assistance.

Funding shortfalls are undermining critical humanitarian assistance. As El Niño approaches and the humanitarian situation is expected to worsen, urgent efforts are needed to address existing gaps and scale up preparedness and anticipatory measures.

 

Burundi LocationThe security situation

The internationally brokered Arusha Agreement, signed in 2000, and subsequent cease-fire agreements with armed movements ended the 1993-2005 civil war. Burundi’s second democratic elections were held in 2005, resulting in the election of Pierre Nkurunziza as president. He was reelected in 2010. In 2015 political unrest in Burundi took a fatal turn after President Nkurunziza announced plans to seek a third term.

After a controversial court decision allowed Nkurunziza to circumvent a term limit in 2015 and be reelected, mass protests and a failed coup led to violent clashes. Years of violent repression followed, including mass arrests, detentions, executions, torture, and intimidation. Hundreds of thousands fled to nearby countries searching for safety.

Following the death of Nkurunziza, Evariste Ndayishimiye - from Nkurunziza's ruling party - was elected president in 2020. The main opposition party, the CNL, was permitted to participate in the 2020 elections, but the campaign and voting took place in a highly repressive environment marked by allegations of killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and other abuses against opposition supporters.

Since President Ndayishimiye came to power in 2020, there have been only limited improvements in Burundi’s human rights record. According to UN experts, despite commitments and measures taken by the government, the human rights situation in Burundi has not changed in a substantial and sustainable way. 

In 2025, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi. However, the government continues to disregard its obligations under international law, including by denying the Special Rapporteur access to the country. The investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the situation in Burundi, which is focused on alleged crimes against humanity committed in Burundi between 2015 and 2017, continues.

Human rights groups say suspected members of opposition groups continue to disappear, many have been detained, and there have been documented cases of torture. Threats and politically motivated prosecutions also continue. A number of returning refugees have been intimidated. There are also reports of unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings. Journalists, civil-society actors, political opponents, and people perceived to be opposed to the government or ruling party have been among those targeted.

According to Human Rights Watch, Burundi's political space deteriorated further in 2025 as the ruling party consolidated power. The authorities continued to restrict civil society, independent media, and political opposition, while the June and July 2025 legislative, senatorial, and local elections took place in a context of severely restricted political and civic space. The human rights group reported harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, physical abuse, enforced disappearances, and threats during the electoral period.

The ruling National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) won 96.5 percent of the vote and all contested seats in the National Assembly and Senate, while opposition parties were effectively sidelined.

Donations

Your donation for the Burundi emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to provide water, food, medicine, shelter, and other aid to the people who need it most.

Currently, there are only a few active appeals for the Burundi crisis. You may also consider making an unearmarked donation.

To find other organizations to which you can donate, visit: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations, and Human Rights Organizations.

Further Information

Last updated: 2026/10/08

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