f I f

The Administrator United Nations Development Programme f Sustainable human development u II

•™J 18 December 1998

Dear Ms. Frechette,

It gives me great pleasure to commend to you Choosing Hope: The Case for Constructive Engagement in Burundi, prepared by the United Nations Resident Coordinator System in Burundi under the leadership of Ms. Kathleen Cravero.

It is very well-written, and positions the United Nations System very clearly "in support of communities moving towards peaceful coexistence."

Yours sincerely,

James Gustave Speth

Ms. Louise Frechette Deputy Secretary-General United Nations, New York 10017

One United Nations Plaza • New York, NY 10017 CHOOSING HOPE;

The Case for Constructive Engagement in Burundi

United Nations Resident Coordinator System in Burundi The content of this report has been reviewed and endorsed by the United Nations Country Team in Burundi.

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Joseph Tchicaya, Representative Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Patrizia Paoletti, Head of Unit UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Luis Zuniga, Representative UN Development Programme (UNDP) Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson, Resident Representative UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Yacouba Sow, Representative UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Maroufa Diabira, Director UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ulf Kristoffersson, Representative UN Office in Burundi (UNOB) Cheikh Tidiane Sy, Director UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Athanase Nzokirishaka, Assistant Representative World Food Programme (WFP) Thomas Yanga, Representative World Health Organisation (WHO) Paboung Yankalbe, Representative

This report was written by Marie Dimond, Information Officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Burundi. The author acknowledges the valuable contributions of Kathleen Cravero- Kristoffersson, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and Richard Hands, former OCHA staff member, and wishes to thank the wide variety of colleagues who read and commented on early drafts. CHOOSING HOPE: The Case for Constructive Engagement in Burundi

Preface

Executive Summary

Setting the Scene

The human factor: living under a piece of plastic 2 International indifference: is anybody watching? 2 History of the conflict 3

A Nation Uprooted

Anatomy of displacement 4 Refugees and repatriation 8 Children lost and alone 9 Women left behind 9

Hunger in a Land of Plenty 10

• Food security: too many people, too little land 10 • Nutrition: scratching the surface 11

Social Breakdown 12

Water: the system breaks down 12 School's out 13 Where there is no doctor 14 Human rights and the rule of law 15 Sanctions: who suffers most? 16

Windows of Opportunity 17

• A new approach to reinstallation 17 • Time to act 19 Preface

This report is an expression of concern for the people of Burundi:

' concern that their suffering is not sufficiently understood or is considered inevitable in a region engulfed in conflict; ' concern that the inextricable links between relief, development and peace-building are either unrecognized or ignored, discouraging the forces of reconciliation while strengthing those of hate and violence; ' concern that failure to respond to Burundi's reconstruction and development needs will cause communities to lose hope, leaving them without the motivation, skills or physical stamina to work toward peace; ' concern that if action is not taken now the hundreds of thousands of Burundians who are refugees in neighboring countries or displaced in their own land will remain stranded for years to come; and

' concern that a generation of children is emerging who, surrounded by hate, hunger and homelessness, will be driven by a desire for revenge rather than a vision of peace.

The United Nations in Burundi must do everything possible to help resolve a conflict that is destroying homes, robbing people of their livelihoods and ravaging communities. We must be clearly and consistently on the side of the poor and vulnerable. We must bear witness to their suffering, help them reclaim their rights and insist on an adequate response to their needs. It is in this spirit that we call for growing constructive engagement in Burundi. Constructive engagement involves support both for the creation of a broad-based political consensus and for sustainable reinstallation. It is neither a plea for uncritical acceptance of Government policies nor a defense of one or another of the opposing groups. It is a call for concrete action in support of communities moving toward peaceful coexistence. It is a request for help in reinforcing the institutions, judicial systems, schools and basic services that promote good governance, equity and peace throughout the country. It is an invitation to choose stability over chaos, tolerance over hate, hope over despair.

This is the only viable option for Burundi.

Kathleert Cravero-Krist6ffecsson ON Resident and Humanitarian Ooflrdinator Bujumbura, Burundi December 1998 Executive Summary

As stated in the Preface, this report is an expression led to a dramatic decline in these services and a of concern for the people of Burundi. It describes marked deterioration in the quality of the structures the combined impact of political crisis, economic that continue to function. (The section reviews collapse and social breakdown and calls for an specifically the sectors of water and sanitation, appropriate international response. education and health. It also focuses on human rights issues, analyzing problems - and proposed In the first section (Setting the Scene), the report solutions - in the areas of judicial reform, prison summarizes the suffering of Burundi in a series of conditions and human rights monitoring. Finally, this key facts: numbers of Burundians displaced inside section outlines the impact on the poor of the and outside their country; numbers receiving food sanctions imposed by neighboring countries in 1996T] aid; percentages of malnutrition; access to basic It highlights, for example, the deleterious effects otv services. It emphasizes the complexity of the current subsistence farmers and small businesses as well situation, pointing out how humanitarian and as on both the rural and urban poor. The sanctions development needs coexist and warning against have worsened the problems caused by prolonged "quick fixes" at the expense of long-term structural conflict, giving rise to a parallel economy, high improvements. Finally, this section puts the current inflation, rising unemployment and profiteering. They crisis in historical context by reviewing the cycles have also complicated the delivery of humanitarian of violence that have plagued the country for over assistance, involving cumbersome procedures and 30 years. long delays that waste both the time and money of UN agencies and their partners. Section two (A Nation Uprooted) analyzes the population movements that result from the conflict: The conclusion of this report (Windows of regroupment; displacement; flight into other Opportunity), while appreciating the scale of the countries; and, finally, repatriation back home. It problems raised in earlier sections, justifies the describes the physical and emotional suffering of theme choosing hope. It explains the innovative those forced to move as well as the impact on approach being pursued in Burundi to promote individual and collective dignity and self respect. This sustainable reinstallation and encourages support section also highlights the plight of refugees, for community-based initiatives that contribute to children and women, three groups particularly peace, stability and good governance. It calls for affected by continuing instability. recognition of the inextricable links between emergency, relief and development action. Section three (Hunger in a Land of Plenty) deals primarily with the problems of food security and The report closes with an appeal to donors and the malnutrition. A combination of high population international community at large to take action in density, a traditional land tenure system and over- three areas: development of a comprehensive exploitation of the land available is threatening food approach for Burundi that includes recovery, peace- security. The situation is exacerbated by continuing building, human rights and economic growth; high levels of population growth, loss of livestock, expansion of the boundaries of humanitarian lack of fertilizer and the large numbers of people assistance beyond the distribution of relief supplies living away from their homes. The result \s to support for community rehabilitation and increasing malnutrition, a problem with which a large development; and support for a process of network of feeding centers struggles to keep pace. constructive engagement that will help consolidate gains thus far and promote continued progress. In The message of section four (Social Breakdown) short, the report asks the international community is clear the state of basic services in Burundi is to help Burundi emerge from crisis by weighing in grim. Widespread destruction and looting of on the side of peace, hope and compromise. schools, health centers and other infrastructure has SETTING THE SCENE

The human factor: Living under a piece of plastic

Ifs been raining hard, and the track that leads to the hilltop site in northwest Burundi has turned into a river of mud. The trucks have got stuck way back down the slope - there will be no food today for the people for whom this forlorn spot is, for the time being, home,.

As the field officer coming to break the bad news Burundi scans the camp, she notices a battered piece of plastic sheeting on one of the ramshackle shelters, and she wonders where the sheeting has come from. The relief agencies first gained access to this site only a few days ago, and there have as yet been no distributions. The original royal blue has faded, but the white UNHCR logo is still visible. It's fraying round the edges and has a few holes, but still keeps the worst of the rain off the unassuming woman huddled beneath it with her children and an empty cooking pot.

The sheeting came into the family's possession something over three years ago, not long after the night the men came to burn their home. That first terrible night, when the father and the eldest son disappeared forever, Consolate and her remaining children fled into the darkness, westwards, descending from the hills and across a river to a barren plain -she did not recognize. It was there International indifference: is anybody that she was given the plastic, the only protection watching? for her and the children against the sun, the dust and the rain. It was there, too, that she gave birth To many people in the west, the names of countries to her husband's last child. like Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia remain inextricably bound with war and human suffering. During the last two years, Consolate and her By contrast, the civil conflict that has riven Burundi children have moved three times. Supplies have since 1993 has elicited scant attention. Eclipsed by always been scarce, despite occasional distributions the genocide that engulfed its northern neighbor in of food and seeds. The last move was a headlong 1994, and the events unfolding in the Congo, the flight from an attack on the site that had been home plight of this small, landlocked country is hardly for several months. There was no time to think as known. But to those familiar with the immense bullets flew and shelters burned. With the screams suffering of its people, Burundi symbolizes «the of her neighbors ringing in her ears, Consolate silent emergency* in which so many Africans live gathered together her children, her cooking pot and and die. the precious plastic and slipped away into the night. She had heard there was a feeding center over the The facts speak for themselves: mountains and across the forest to the east. • Approximately one million Burundians continue Just over a week later, the family limped out of the to live away from their homes. forest, hollow-eyed with hunger, weary beyond • Nearly 600,000 people are living in over 300 caring. And so it was that they had come to this place. Consolate stares intently at the young field camps inside their own country, constituting officer as she explains, why there will be no food one of the largest internally displaced that day. Once again dependent on the kindness populations in the Great Lakes region. of strangers, she wonders when next her children will eat and for how much longer that old bit of plastic • There are over 300,000 Burundian refugees will last. in neighboring countries, plus a further 200,000 people who have been living in Tanzania since 1972. • Everyday, 345.000 people in Burundi receive same as Rwanda's, an ethnic conflict fueled by the food aid. ancient tribal hatred between two rival groups. Readers may also have an idea that one of these • Everyday an average of 40,000 people are tribes is much fewer in number but has nonetheless treated for malnutrition in 230 therapeutic and ruled almost continuously for hundreds of years. supplementary feeding centers around the This is, unfortunately, a facile reading of Burundian country. Their number would probably be much history. higher if all the needy had access to centers. After centuries of functioning as a feudal kingdom, « 91% of the people living in camps inside Burundi was colonized first by Germany in 1899 and Burundi have no access to the minimum daily then ruled by Belgium under a League of Nations requirement of drinking water. mandate from 1916 to 1962, when Burundi gained its independence. Failing to appreciate the delicate • The UN's human development index for the traditional balance that existed among various country has dropped from 3.4 to 3 in just four groups, the colonialists proceeded to distort it. years, reflecting the accumulated impact of favoring some groups over others. Partially as a rapidly deteriorating indicators such as result, the decades following independence were vaccination coverage (down from 83% in 1993 characterized by frequent changes in power among to 54% in 1996), primary school attendance elites within one group as well as recurrent violent (down from 70% to 53%) and infant mortality uprisings, most dramatically in 1965, 1969, 1972, rate (up from 110 to 136 deaths per thousand 1988 and 1993. The violence in 1972 was live births). particularly savage, killing an estimated 150,000 people. Up to 200,000 Burundians fled the country • The hostilities have claimed the lives of an in terror, seeking refuge in neighboring Tanzania, estimated 200,000 people, primarily civilians, where the vast majority remain to this day. since the outbreak of the conflict in 1993. From 1962 to 1993, Burundi passed through three It is understandable that the complex dynamics of republics, each one ending through non- Burundi puzzle the outside world. It is indeed a constitutional means. In 1976, Jean-Baptiste country of paradox. While 5 of the country's 17 Bagaza seized power from Michel Micombero provinces remain periodically troubled by conflict, (President of the first Republic); in 1987, Major the other 12 are ready for - and in desperate need Pierre Buyoya deposed Jean-Baptiste Bagaza of - rehabilitation and development. Yet even in (President of the second Republic). Buyoya, these provinces, periods of stability are sporadically President of the third Republic, initiated a political disrupted by bursts of violence, leaving uncertainty reform process which led, in March 1992. to the and fear in their wake. Five years into the crisis, adoption of a new constitution and the introduction under-funded relief agencies struggle to respond of a multiparty system with a directly-elected to the needs of the displaced and dispossessed, President and National Assembly. while other organizations call for a more fundamental look at the underlying causes of the In June 1993, the first democratic presidential conflict. As in most complex emergencies, however, election since independence was held, with Melchior quick fixes are more visible, less political and more Ndadaye emerging as winner Major Buyoya handed easily funded. In Burundi this trend has led to a over power peaceably immediately after the neglect of the structural problems that have fueled elections. Both because he was elected and the violence of the last three decades, creating an because he was Huta the inauguration of President environment in which peace seems continuously - Ndadaye marked an important milestone in and hopelessly - beyond reach. Burundian history. It gave rise to hope for long-term stability and broader political participation, as History of the conflict Burundi was hailed internationally as a symbol of peaceful democratic transition in Africa. Like its neighboring state, Rwanda, Burundi is not the result of colonial negotiation but an historic This fledgling hope was, however, abruptly shattered nation-state that has evolved over many centuries when President Ndadaye was assassinated on 21 to its present form1. Burundi's borders are shaped October, 1993, only four months after taking office. by natural features, including several rivers and the The assassination unleashed yet again years of vastness of Lake Tanganyika to the west. accumulated fear, resentment and rage. Massacres carried out in retribution for the killing of the Most people who read the newspapers probably President led to reprisals undertaken by the army have a vague notion that Burundi's problem is the to regain control of the countryside. Tens of

' Burundi's population is composed of three main groups: Hutu (85%); Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1 %). all of whom share the same language, culture and religion. thousands of people were killed and hundreds of international community in general and the regional thousands of others fled their homes and country, states in particular. mainly into Tanzania and former Zaire. Those lucky enough to escape with their lives lost nearly In the meantime, the suffering of Burundi continues, everything else, induding their homes, their land, as it has for the last several years. And every day. their livestock and their future. Five years later, one women, children - indeed entire families - are lost million of those who fled have yet to return to their in the crossfire that haunts once peaceful hills. original collines. - A NATION UPROOTED After the assassination. Burundi was ruled by a succession of weak and divided administrations and Burundi's crisis may be political but its impact is unrest continued. In March 1996. the UN Special humanitarian. The slow-burning, relentless tragedy Rapporteur forHuman Rights went as far as to refer that has unfolded over the past five years has now to the ongoing civil war embroiling Burundi as a reached unprecedented proportions. The vast "genocide by attrition". Just four months later, Major majority of this conflict's victims are civilians -mostly Buyoya returned to power through a bloodless women, children, the sick and the elderly - who putsch, which was widely condemned by cannot run far enough or fast enough to escape the neighboring countries. They responded by imposing violence. economic sanctions, which remain in place to this day. Shattered Lives

During the last two years the Buyoya Government has complied with a series of conditions linked to "Ntidupfa kandi ntidukira" - We are not dying and we the lifting of the sanctions. The Government has are not living We are simply surviving also initiated a series of political reforms, known as the "internal parternship". The National Assembly, Mother of five living in a displaced site for instance, has been expanded from 81 to 121 'We no longer travel anywhere in the country members to include representatives from all political We are too afraid to move The roads are unsafe, parties and civil society. At the same time, the the nsk of ambushes too high I haven't left the city Government is actively participating in the external in five years" peace process mediated by former Tanzanian Inhabitant of Bujumbura President Julius Nyerere. These efforts have resulted in the convening of all-party talks in Arusha Anatomy of Displacement in June. July and October 1998 at which, for the first time, delegates from all sides are meeting to The most visible and long-lasting consequence of discuss solutions that would be acceptable to all the civil war has been the displacement of nearly involved. 20% of Burundi's population of approximately six million. The physical, psychological, social and While strides have been made in promoting the economic implications of such enormous upheaval cause of reason and consensus, the combined cannot be overstated. With the conflict now well into depredations of civil war and economic sanctions its fifth year, over 300.000 Burundians continue to continue to undermine these achievements, sapping live as refugees, most of them in Tanzania. Nearly morale and threatening to erode vital support for 600,000 others live in makeshift sites, most of them the middle ground. In addition, the structural located in the western provinces which, owing to a inequities that have plagued Burundian society for combination of their geographical location and the decades remain unaddressed. Furthermore, hilly terrain, have tended to be the main focus of disconcerting divisions continue within nearly all the rebel activity. main parties to the Arusha talks and the cease-fire that was due to come into effect on 20 July 1998 Even when security conditions have improved has failed to materialize. sufficiently to allow displaced populations to return to their land, going home is not always easy. Many Although the Government has largely restored people are skeptical, or fear that the calm may only security in many parts of the country, rebel attacks be temporary; others have been away so long they and military counter-operations continue, especially no longer have land to go to; some could go back in five western provinces. If the continuing threat but are fearful of rebuilding their lives in a place posed by the extremists on both sides is to be where they have witnessed horrendous atrocities effectively resolved through political means, the against family and friends, often committed by peace process will require the active support of the neighbors.

; Collines are the hills that maKe up the Burundian countryside where most of the rural population lives in scattered dwellings known as rugo Chronology of Population Movements 1972 An estimated 200.000 Burundians flee from pogroms and communal violence; many seek refuge m Tanzania, where most remain to this day.

1993 To escape the violence that broke out following the assassination of President Ndadaye. nearly 200.000 people leave the hills to seek protection in sites grouped around military posts. A vast majority are still there.

1994-1996 The escalation of the civil conflict sparks massive population movements; the northwestern province of Cibitoke, sandwiched between the rebel bases in the mountainous Kibira forest and in neighboring Kivu. is particularly unstable. Large numbers seek refuge in neighboring Zaire (150.000) and Tanzania (250.000). Up to 400.000 congregate in sites inside the country.

1996-1997 In the wake of the conquest of Zaire by the Kabila-led alliance, most of the refugees in Kivu return to Burundi, where they swell the numbers living in the displaced camps of the north-western provinces, particularly Cibitoke.

1996-1997 As a military strategy to regain control of rebel-held territory, the authorities forcibly regroup 250.000 civilians in Karuzi. Kayanza and Muramvya provinces. Nearly all of them return home by the end of 1997. but the policy of controlled population movements continues to be implemented in other, more short-term forms elsewhere in the country.

1997-1998 Following the loss of their bases in the Kivu. the rebels regroup in Tanzania, and the mam theatre of operations shifts to the southwest, along the ridge of the Nile-Congo watershed that is the mam conduit into and out of the country for guerrilla groups. The ensuing destabilization leads to large-scale displacement to new sites, again mainly along the mam tarmac roads of the western plain, not only in Makamba and Burun provinces but also as far north as Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza.

1997 -1998 As the military gradually establishes control in certain areas, the authorities begin to dismantle the big sites near main roads or major towns and create smaller, decentralized sites grouped around advanced-military positions in the hills (Cibitoke, parts of Burun Bubanza). Elsewhere, short-term regroupment operations continue to be implemented in response to localized destabilization (Bujumbura Rural).

Nearly all the sites in Cibitoke province, for so long the most unstable part of the country, are dismantled by June 1998 and the people return to their hills. At almost the same time, the crisis in neighboring Congo produces an influx of some eleven thousand people, which continues up to the present.

Lukole (108.000)

I Mtendeli (28.000)

Kanembwa (16.000)

• Nduta (28.000) •Mkwugwa (3.000) IDPs living in camps in Burundi: £ Nyarugus less than 10,000 ' (31.000) 10,000- 30,000 < Myovosi 30,000 • 50,000 (27.000) more than 50,000 ^B—B Mtabila (49.000) V Burundians living m Tanzanian refugee camps Number of IDPs living in sites across Burundi. November 1998: Compounding the trauma caused by the loss of their family members, their homes and their livelihoods, the Total prov. Number Total site % of total experience of living in a crowded site Province population of sites population population is both disorienting and degrading for people accustomed to living in Bubanza 280 152 52 155000 55% relative seclusion and to providing for Bujumbura maine 311 037 3 9350 3% their own needs. The utter lack of Bujumbura rural 384128 53 62403 16% privacy \s one of the most difficult and Bururi 438 811 29 84165 19% degrading aspects of site life A Cankuzo 163 331 Q Q 0% UNFPA study carried out in 1998 Cibitoke 366 129 7 13565 4% emphasizes the humiliation women Gitega 648011 17 18316 3% suffer when forced to sleep in the Kanjzi 346508 18 34360 10% same small room as the male Kayanza 509 588 18 29289 6% members of their families. As one Kirundo 464684 17 25942 6% displaced woman commented. Makamba 264103 27 36710 14% "Sharing the room with your son or Muramvya 505 679 20 • 27 063 5% your son-in-la w is simply not done I Muyinga 442832 31 32081 7% am ashamed." Ngozi 555 696 12 25559 5% Rutana 227 430 9 2576 1% What little food, water and basic Ruyigi 291 881 9 2 127 1% necessities there are tend to be Total 6 200 000 322 558506 9% provided by relief agencies, creating Source. OCHA a pervasive culture of dependency. The loss of identity and dignity, As the chart below shows, while the overall number of internally combined with lack of work and displaced has not changed significantly over the past year, there resources causes many - men. in have been considerable fluctuations in individual provinces, particular - to turn to alcohol, petty reflecting the vagaries of a guerrilla war that is constantly shifting thievery and violence. Stealing food its theatre of operations. While approximately 133,000 people were and crops from neighbors, able to leave the sites, during the same time period an equal traditionally unheard of. is number were forced to flee and seek refuge in sites. increasingly common

Conditions in the sites are wretched, Evolution of IDPs by province. November 1997-98: but things are even worse for an 160033 unknown but significant number of so-called dispersed populations 140003 hiding in the forests and marshes. Terrified of emerging from their 120033 hiding places lest they become even 103033 easier targets, these people are forced to play a macabre game of 80000 hide-and-seek with rival factions that 60000 deny them access even to the basic assistance available in the sites 40033 'Total number Surviving solely on what they can of displaced 20033. scavenge, the dispersed are clearly the most vulnerable of all. but also lfl the most difficult for relief workers to NCD ;<=U m2 D>- locate and reach Sometimes, those who manage to break out. end up OJ^CQ u — x. ^ = -^ m a 5 dying from exhaustion when they finally reach a feeding center. Living in a site takes an enormous toll on the physical and mental well-being of the long-term displaced Like almost all aspects of the Burundian conflict, For most, life is little more than a daily struggle for population movements are a complex, multi-faceted survival, the sole objective being to find just enough phenomenon!. Up to mid-1998, it was the practice food, firewood and water to prepare the family's only of the humanitarian community to classify different meal. As the years pass and prospects for a return groups on the basis of the circumstances that to their land diminish, many camp dwellers, obliged them to leave their homes and/or the especially children, become passive and environment to which they have moved A whole despondent. Eventually, resignation sets in. new lexicon of categories emerged: the old- and new-caseload displaced; short- and long-term resettlement, for as many families as possible, as regrouped (see box); dispersed; and newly soon as conditions permit liberated, to mention just a few. Over the course of the past year, however. humanitarian agencies and their partners have begun to question this practice. In light of the evolution of Government policy as well as of other developments, it is now more appropriate to focus on current vulnerability and a continuous. objective assessment of needs. However they are described, all affected populations are caught up in a vicious cycle of insecurity, flight, poverty and disease. Assistance should be provided with a view to long-term, viable

Displaced persons's He. Murammi province.

Regroupment One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the intervention that might be seen to endorse or prolong Burundi conflict is the policy of mandatory regroupment regroupment. while ensuring that the most urgent, life- which at one point in 1997 accounted for nearly half sustaining needs of the affected populations were the total displaced population covered. Particular emphasis was placed on agencies' readiness to provide significant assistance for the The term regroupment has come to be used when definitive return of the regrouped to their homes populations in areas subject to systematic destabilization by rebel activity are required to leave In mid-1997 partly as a result of international pressure their homes and relocate to camps guarded by armed and partly because the policy had achieved its military forces, often for long periods of time The purpose of objective of reclaiming territory held by the rebels, the this exercise is to allow the military to conduct authorities began to dismantle the camps. By the end operations aimed at flushing out rebel positions and of 1997. virtually all the regrouped people of Kayanza. regaining control of the territory Typically, the civilian Muramvya and Karuzi had returned to their homes population is given a deadline by which they have to make their way to a designated regroupment site Opposition and rebel groups have consistently anyone remaining in the collines after the deadline portrayed regroupment as a violation of fundamental expires is considered a legitimate military target human rights and intentional humanitarian law. while Authorities have generally provided no form of the Government has always maintained that it is a short- assistance to assure minimum living standards for the term security measure designed to protect civilians. In regrouped any case, large-scale, long-term regroupment such as that which caused widespread controversy in 1996- This policy was first implemented on a large scale in 1997 has ended However short-term forced movement Karuzi province early in 1996. followed by Kayanza and of populations continues, particularly in the more Muramvya provinces later that year. By the end of the unstable western provinces year, some 250.000 people had been forcibly removed from their homes in these three provinces alone In The challenge to the humanitarian community is to February 1997. following a broad consultation process encourage measures taken to protect and assist involving UN agencies. NGOs and donors, the civilians while remaining firm and vigilant with regard international humanitarian community adopted a to human rights abuses This can only be achieved common position setting out conditions for a carefully through engagement and dialogue. calibrated relief response designed to avoid any Refugees and repatriation Since the beginning of 1998. some 13.000 people have returned from Tanzania, with approximately Almost since independence. Burundi has known 8,000 more returning from Rwanda and DRC large population movements. The first and most These numbers represent only a fraction of what is dramatic flight'out of the country occurred in 1972 possible, given international support and the full but people have moved back and forth fairly cooperation of neighboring countries As of October constantly since that time, with Burundi both hosting 1998. in total. 189.000 Burundians had returned (i.e.. from Rwanda) and producing (i.e.. in Tanzania. home since September 1996 {110.000 from former Rwanda and Congo) hundreds of thousands of Zaire/DRC: 72.000 from Tanzania; and 6.500 from refugees. Rwanda) In collaboration with partner NGOs. UNHCR assists with the reintegration of returnees During the last years, the focus of the Government, by reinforcing local infrastructure in a way that with the support of the United Nations High benefits entire communities rather than by focusing Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). has been on one group over others Unfortunately, over the facilitating the return of Burundians from course of the last two years the scale of such surrounding countries, particularly Tanzania activities has been greatly cut back due to lack of UNHCR set up field offices in three provinces and resources. is assisting the Government to adopt a multi-faceted approach to the return Refugees are helped to In addition to welcoming Burundians home, the return through the organization of weekly transport Government is host to nearly 30.000 refugees from from camps in neighboring Tanzania to Burundi and Congo and Rwanda (20.000 old case-load by being given "return packages"' to assist their Congolese who fled the Mobutu regime in the 1960s: reintegration on the collines. Finally. UNHCR 2.000 Rwandans: and 4.500 newly arrived protection officers monitor the repatriation process Congolese). closely to ensure that returnees are given the opportunity to re-enter community life.

Burundian returnees. 1996-present

11996

Ngara Kibondo DRC Rwanda -1998 -CUMUL

The 73,800 spontaneous returnees from DRC which arrived in Cibitoke/Bubanza in late 1996 are not featured in this graph.

3 A return package generally consists of a blanket, plastic sheeting, soap, a jerry can. a hoe and a mat as well as a three month food ration provided by WFP The package facilitates the reintegration process by providing a means for setting up a household Children lost and alone tracing activities to reunite children with their families or place them with foster parents. As Burundi's civil war continues to ebb and flow, children are frequently separated from one or both of their parents. In the worst cases, these children live with the lifelong trauma of having witnessed their parents' violent deaths. Others are scarcely better off Many children are separated from their families in the panic of headlong flight following a night attack, or find their route home from routine chores barred by a fresh outburst of fighting. Even more poignantly, parents who despair of being able to feed their children may abandon them at the gates of nutrition centers, in the belief that they will receive better care at the hands of a relief agency than they themselves can provide. This practice not only epitomizes the tragic dilemma of Burundi's most vulnerable families, it is also the source of a growing number of abandoned children (see box).

Whatever the reasons for the separation, the impact is the same. Lacking a father or mother, unaccompanied children are often neglected, receive inadequate care and attention, and are frequently subject to exploitation and physical and It is estimated that there are approximately sexual abuse. Efforts are now underway to step up 4.500 unaccompanied children in Burundi.

Where is home ? By the beginning of April 1998. a feeding center run by reunited UNHCR. as well as NGOs such as Oxfam Action Contre la Fatm (ACF) in Muramvya had 43 Quebec, have considerable expenence tracing children permanent residents among its 459 beneficiaries All in Burundi But with as many as 4.500 children affected, children under 12 years old. they no longer suffered the needs far surpass available expertise and from the acute malnutrition that had brought them to resources. And for children in the feeding centers, time the center originally. Some even looked strong, able to is of the essence Their exposure to disease increases laugh and play among the center's tent-like structures. with every additional day But while ACF had succeeded in putting these children back on their feet, they faced an even more perplexing A temporary solution has been found for the children in problem: these kids had no place to go. And the ACF the centers UNICEF. international NGOs and several feeding center was not an isolated case Two other local organizations have set up temporary shelters from NGOs. Concern in Cibitoke and Children's Aid Direct which the tracing process can proceed and are working in Bubanza. were reporting the same phenomenon a with the Ministry of Social Action to develop more long- growing number of children ended up staying in the term solutions These include the regular and efficient centers indefinitely. There was a real chance that a child exchange of information on unaccompanied children, who managed to reach the center, respond well to the standardization of reporting techniques among treatment and survive a bout of severe malnutrition, partners, training in the best and most efficient methods might succumb to cholera, tuberculosis or typhoid while of tracing, and management of a database to ensure waiting to be discharged. improved coordination.

The best solution to this dilemma is effective tracing, Tracing requires determination, commitment, expertise the painstaking and sometimes lengthy process of and resources. Funding for these activities has been in finding these children's parents - or at least the closest particularly short supply. Unless more is forthcoming. relatives willing to take them in It involves repeated Burundi's children will continue to wait, wondering if - trips to remote collmes. paperwork, transport and and when - they will ever reach home monitoring of the children's welfare once they are

Women left behind In these circumstances, women are often forced to take on a taxing role as sole providers, not only of A UNFPA study carried out in 1995 found that nearly food and shelter, but also of moral and physical one third of all the women living in sites were strength for their families. Having assumed a largely widows. Given the intensity of the conflict during subservient role in the past, many women are the last three years that has led to many adult males unaccustomed to standing up for themselves and fighting in armed groups, being killed or are ill-equipped to exercise authority, with the result "disappearing", it is safe to assume that the that they are subjected to harassment and abuse percentage has since risen significantly. in the sites. They are further disadvantaged because, according to Burundian tradition, they are 10 not legally allowed to own land The UNFPA study traditional land tenure system (in which, according carried out in 1998 found that 46% of the women to inheritance laws, land is handed down to sons living in sites were victims of acts of physical through division into smaller and smaller plots), has violence. 39% had experienced psychological put enormous pressure on finite natural resources violence through intimidation and threats while 11% reducing the average size of a family agricultural admitted to having been victims of sexual abuse. plot to 0.7 hectares. The long-term trend is for agricultural production to rise by about 1% per Owing to the hardship of site life, poor diet, annum, while the population growth rate is inadequate health and especially prenatal care, approaching 3% per annum By 2010. even the most many women suffer spontaneous abortions or conservative estimates suggest there will be nearly premature births. According to UNFPA. the number 9 million Burundians. At the same time the quality of women who died from complications arising in of soil is deteriorating due to over-exploitation and childbirth doubled from 600 to 1.200 per 100.000 in loss of livestock which in turn has led to a lack of 1996 alone This figure is particularly alarming fertilizer. In addition, the practice of rotating crops because it only accounts for cases registered in has been increasingly abandoned in favor of planting health centers and hospitals. As 80% of Burundian tubers in an attempt to produce more food per women give birth at home without the presence of hectare. qualified medical personnel, the real figure can be Already it is only when everything goes right - when considered much higher seeds are available in sufficient quantity and quality, when livestock is on hand to fertilize the fields, when United Nations agencies and their partners seek to the rams come at the right time and in the right respond to this deteriorating situation on several quantity, when families have access to their land - levels. The needs of female-headed households that the acreage under cultivation is enough to are given special consideration 'm regard to produce sufficient food When any one of these humanitarian assistance, i e . during distributions factors is not in place, as has consistently been the of food, seeds and other supplies. Efforts are case over that past five years of civil strife, there is underway to ensure their priority access to health simply not enough to go round care and education, as well as to address the During normal times, the overwhelming majority of underlying causes of discrimination, e.g..traditional Burundi's peasant population already teeters status, inheritance laws and other legislation. During permanently on the edge of poverty, but the situation recent years, however, the crisis and lack of is even worse for those who have been driven from resources have combined to limit attention to their land by the fighting. Most of the around 10% women's most urgent survival needs. of the population currently living in sites, and more hiding in the forests and marshes, are unable to fend for themselves Denied access to their fields HUNGER IN A LAND OF PLENTY over long periods, these people rely almost entirely on scavenging or food aid for survival Food security: too many people, too little land

"How could anyone starve in these green hills7' Journalist visiting Burundi Burundi is a country of eye-catching beauty, a land in which three harvests are possible and no one need go hungry For centuries. Burundi's peasant farmers, who make up the majority of the country's population, have tended to live in scattered dwellings known as a/go (the Burundian word for the traditional enclosures that contain the family's fields and livestock) rather than congregate in villages as elsewhere in Africa Life centers round the inzu. the round, thatched homes that are the focus of family life. Agricultural production has traditionally been less market-oriented than in other African countries, with at least 75% covering subsistence needs and at most 25% being sold in local markets

Over the past generation, this way of life has been increasingly undermined by an unprecedented population increase, from around 2 million in 1950 to almost 6 million in 1990. Burundi now has a population density of 228 people per km2, the second highest in mainland Africa (after Rwanda) This population explosion, combined with the Children are among the first to tie affected b\ malnutrition. 11

Furthermore, some families living in unstable areas, whether in a site or in their own homes, find their crops pillaged just before the harvest. They have also come to accept that often livestock is more of a liability than an asset, even if they could afford it. Livestock, essential above all for the manure needed to fertilize Burundi's hard-worked soil, too often makes them targets of armed thieves.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently providing rations to an average of 345,000 people every day. The logistical challenge of bringing such large quantities of food into a landlocked country in the throes of civil war and an economic embargo was highlighted in early 1998. when Tanzania's transport infrastructure collapsed following torrential rains. With only 1,800 of the 5.000 tons needed to cover WFP's monthly food aid requirements coming in by road via Kenya. Uganda and Rwanda, an expensive airlift, funded by the United States Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance and the European Community Humanitarian Office, was organized to keep life-saving programs running Between April and July, a total of 3,000 tons of food were flown into Burundi. Denied regular access to iheir fields, many displaced have become dependent on food Promoting Food Security distributions.

FAO and approximately twenty partner NGOs meet regularly to coordinate the distribution of both seeds Africa s largest TFC in the town of Bubanza. with a and seed protection rations to improve food security of up to 130.000 vulnerable families mainly living in capacity of up to 1.000, ten times the standard size. displaced sites The combination of both food and Nutrition surveys in different parts of the country seeds is important, as hunger levels are high and there confirm the scale of the problem. For example, an is danger that without complementary food rations, anthropometnc survey in Cibitoke province in April seeds will be eaten, not planted. The humanitarian 1998 put the global acute malnutrition rate community in Burundi has also been developing (moderate and severe combined) at 21%. severe innovative approaches which place more emphasis malnutrition at 10.5%. and the mortality rate at 5 on preventive strategies, build confidence, reduce per 10.000 per day. over double the World Health dependence and encourage other productive activities. Organization (WHO) emergency threshold Largely For example. NGOs with support from FAO and WFP are promoting "demonstrations gardens" as a way of as a result of improved security and effective improving agricultural skills while at the same time targeting of humanitarian assistance, by November educating parents on the preparation of more nutntious 1998 the global and severe malnutrition rates had and well-balanced meals fallen to 6% and 1%. respectively. Continued support for these efforts is imperative for the promotion of long-term food security in Burundi. Therapeutic feeding is an expensive business, requiring the deployment of financial, material and human resources on a massive scale. In emergency Nutrition: scratching the surface situations like the one gripping Burundi, it means building and equipping field hospitals, installing The grim spectre of malnutrition, until a few years water and sanitation facilities, employing large ago almost unknown in Burundi, now stalks the land. numbers of doctors, nurses, logisticians, drivers, The number of beneficiaries m supplementary cooks, cleaners and other support staff, and feeding programs rose from 5.178 in January 1997 importing large quantities of drugs and food. When to 37.642 by the end of the first quarter of 1998. this feeding takes place in an environment where while the number of severely malnourished patients follow up is impossible, the costs are even greater. hospitalized in therapeutic feeding centers (TFCs) rose from 709 to more than 3.000 over the same International agencies have the technical expertise period. and the resources to restore a severely malnourished person to full health after about a Owing to increasing numbers of malnourished, in month of intensive treatment. But what awaits April 1998 ACF opened what is believed to be someone who is discharged from the center? As 12 long as the conflict continues, as long as large SOCIAL BREAKDOWN numbers of people are denied access to their land, the only future for many is more hunger, more fear, The state of basic services in Burundi is grim. more suffering. They may be readmitted to the TFC Widespread destruction and looting of schools, three months down the line. Or they may simply health centers and other infrastructure has led to a disappear into the hills to die a lonely, lingering dramatic decline in access to these services. Even death. where such structures continue to function, they are under-staffed and ill-equipped. The situation is made worse by the cumulative effect of these problems, as a breakdown in one sector invariably exacerbates problems in another. Add to this an economy in crisis and the vicious cycle is complete. In other words, the overall health of Burundi's most vulnerable families is linked as much to access to clean water, functioning sanitation facilities, decent shelter and a means of self sufficiency as it is to drug supplies. The absence of one or more of these factors jeopardizes survival.

Water: the system breaks down

Water is generally available in abundant supply in Burundi. Before the crisis, the flow of hundreds of mountain springs was channeled into extensive gravitational networks. In rural areas, up to 35% of that network is no longer operational, either through lack of maintenance or sabotage. Even where the system still functions, it was conceived to meet the needs of Burundi's traditional dispersed habitat, and is unable to cope with large concentrations of people now living in sites.

The springs are still there, of course, but they are After having spent long periods in hiding, often in remote spots, are frequently unhygienic, many people arrive a! feeding centers in a weakened and generally do not produce enough water for the condition. needs of sites containing several thousand people. Women and children are thus obliged to stray far Selective feeding programs, however, cannot from the relative safety of the site in search of the provide a lasting solution to Burundi's fundamental next nearest source, putting them at risk of attack. food security problem, i.e., the rampant population growth that is placing intolerable pressure on an Many families also lack containers for transporting water in sufficient quantity to meet their needs. untenable land tenure system. In the short-term, Faced with a choice between queuing for hours at an effective and sustained cease-fire must be a nearby source that is depleted through overuse, secured to enable the peasant population to return to their homes and fields. The definitive reinstallation and walking long and dangerous distances to the of the displaced, which will once again enable them nearest alternative, most are forced to make do with less than the bare minimum needed for drinking to have full access to their land, must be a priority for the humanitarian community. In the long-term, and preparing the daily meal. For most, water for washing is a luxury. nothing short of the lasting commitment of the Burundian Government and people, with the support of the international community, will suffice to solve the structural problems that are at the root of the hunger, the violence and the suffering. 13

pneumonia, malaria, dysentery and cholera. According to UNICEF's findings. 84% of the displaced showed symptoms of conjunctivitis, 92% had body lice, 94% had scabies, 96% had diarrhea and 98% suffered from worms.

In order to ensure good planning. UNICEF has assisted the Government to draw up a comprehensive action plan for 1999 and is undertaking a follow-up study of the survey carried out in 1997 in all accessible sites located throughout the country This will help the humanitarian community to address, in close collaboration with the authorities and other partners, the vast needs in the water and sanitation sector, provided the necessary resources are made available.

Less than ten percent of Burundi s displaced population have access to the minimum daily requirement of potable water.

According to nationwide survey carried out by UNICEF in November 1997. fully 91% of the people living in sites - over half a million people - do not have access to the minimum requirement of 10 liters of drinking water per person per day On average, site populations have to make do with just under half that amount Now that so many water supply systems have been destroyed or fallen into disrepair even people who do not live in sites are affected by severe shortages. Many lakeside communities have Aid agencies strive to improve access to clean water resorted to using untreated lake water, causing in displaced sites. periodic outbreaks of disease. School's out International relief agencies advocate a maximum of 20 users per latrine in emergency situations. The In many areas, schools have been particularly hard UNICEF survey found the average in Burundi's hit by the conflict, perhaps because those bent on displaced camps to be 59. while more than a third destruction understand their importance to of the camps registered over one hundred users community stability and well-being. Those that are per latrine. The displaced sites in Makamba left are under-staffed and ill-equipped, if not literally province averaged 177 users per latrine, while empty. Ruvono site, in Muramvya province, featured only seven latrines for 6,700 people, an average of 957 The destruction of school buildings and the death users per latrine. or departure of teaching staff have combined to slash the school attendance rate to 53%, down from The combination of a shortage of clean water and 70% just five years ago. The decline has been inadequate excreta disposal systems has resulted particularly dramatic in chronically unstable in deplorable sanitary conditions, creating an ideal provinces such as Bubanza. where primary school breeding ground for a combination of diseases attendance fell from 58% in 1993 to just 7% in 1997. ranging from scabies and typhus to tuberculosis. and where classes average 752 pupils In four 14 provinces, less than one in four children were Lost generation enrolled in school in 1996-97. 'Imagine the state of mind of a child that has spent The quality of education has also suffered The the last five years living in the utter deprivation of percentage of trained teachers has dropped from a displaced persons camp He doesn :t know clean 85% to 76%. due to the death or disappearance of clothes, sufficient food, proper schooling . What qualified personnel. As with enrollment: the number he knows best is fear hunger, hardship, violence of teachers per pupil also varies widely between cold, disease. What possible outlook can he have on life?" Relief worker. provinces. In some cases, low ratios (i.e.. few students per teacher) are due to drops in enrollment; Given that an estimated 66% of the adult in others it reflects to a migration of teachers to more population was illiterate before 1993. the current secure provinces, leaving many areas with only one decline in school attendance rates is nothing short or two teachers for hundreds of students. of catastrophic. During the last five years thousands of children have been deprived of even Even where schools do function, many families left the most rudimentary schooling They cannot read without livelihoods find the cost of books, uniforms or write and lack access to basic information and and school fees beyond their means. In addition, skills. Like so many of their parents, they lack the confidence and ability to gauge situations and parents find the indirect cost of schooling - i.e.. the weigh conflicting information independently. As loss of the child's labor at home - increasingly hard such they are easy targets for those who foment to bear, both as a result of declining incomes and the mistrust and intolerance that gave rise to the the death or absence of family members. In fact, current conflict and continue to plague the country withdrawing children from school is one of the first today. coping strategies undertaken by households with no financial means. It is indisputable that universal primary education could serve as a pillar of positive change in United Nations agencies, particularly UNESCO, Burundi. Unfortunately, support for this essential sector is constrained by the rigid definitions of UNICEF and UNDP, are helping the Government emergency/humanitarian assistance applied to to address the considerable shortfalls in this sector. Burundi by the international community. When all A study of all 1.500 primary, secondary and technical bilateral development aid to Burundi was cut off m schools in the country has been completed in order July 1996 in response to the coup, the education to determine the specific needs in terms of sector was left abandoned. Even now. when the reconstruction and/or the provision of equipment case for education as a vital step towards and material. With one third of Burundi's schools reconciliation is so strong, the response is close not functioning, it was concluded that total to non-existent And so an entire generation rehabilitation needs amount to USD nine million. founders - denied access to skills, learning, and The introduction of peace education into the the chance to build a better, more peaceful future. curricula also remains a priority. But without adequate resources, these needs will remain Where there is no doctor unaddressed and an entire generation of children will continue to bear the life-long consequences. What remains of the Burundian health system relies heavily on the operational support of international medical NGOs. which are providing technical, logistical and material assistance to the health centers in every province. Without that assistance, even the limited health services that remain in rural areas would fold, as attempts to get the Ministry of Health to take more responsibility for staffing and drug procurement repeatedly fail due to the lack of public funds available for social services. Overworked medical staff all over the country are constantly grappling with the chronic shortage of essential drugs, including simple aspirin, while many rural health centers remain closed because qualified medical staff fear to leave the relative safety of the Thousands o] Burundi's children are being deprived towns. of even a basic education. 15

There are 219 doctors working in the capital, but supplies breeds infection and other problems. only 79 can be found in the fifteen other provinces. Reported cases of malaria in 1995 and 1996 were As a result, Bujumbura has a ratio of 1.420 four times higher than in 1988 and 1989; respiratory inhabitants per doctor, while there are on average infections are 2.5 times higher; diarrhea 50% higher. 75,000 inhabitants per doctor in the rest of the Furthermore, since the number of health centers country. and health personnel in rural areas has diminished and the cost of treatment has increased, there is With much of the population unable to afford likely to be substantial under-reporting.5 even the subsidized fees charged for medicines and consultations, the crisis is taking a heavy toll on public health. Immunization coverage fell from 83% in 1993 to 54% in 1996, wnile the infant mortality rate rose from 111 to 136 per 1.000 live births over the same period. With health education almost non-existent, the HIV infection rate has reached 6% in rural areas and 21% in the cities. As a result, the number of AIDS orphans is estimated to have reached 40,000. In 1996 the average life expectancy in Burundi was 47 years; one of the lowest in sub- Sanaran Africa.

A recent World Bank study on poverty in Burundi notes a rapid spread of preventable diseases (e.g.. malaria, respiratory infections, diarrheaT since the start of the crisis.* The increase is linked to three factors : (1) widespread hunger has caused low resistance to disease ; (2) conditions in sites naturally favor the spread of Medical services are nearly non-axis lent, disease ; and (3) the destruction of local water particularly for displaced families.

Empty shelves

Pharmaceutical channels have suffered considerably public hospitals and health centers. because of the crisis and the embargo, resulting in rows of empty shelves in most hospitals and health centers. Combined with internal distribution problems, the At present. WHO. UNICEF and international NGOs withdrawal of private pharmacies from many rural areas, supply most of the small quantities available in the public and near epidemic proportions of diseases such as health system, and even they have been forced to cut malana. these factors leave Burundi even more exposed back in response to donor demands that the to public health disasters. WHO. in collaboration with Government increase its own spending on basic drugs. the Ministry of Health, calculated that emergency needs Butthisisnotasimpleissue. While the Ministry of Health for six months amount to USD 924.000 But who will fill budget allocation for basic drugs has remained those empty shelves? As one doctor in a rural health constant, the cost of importing drugs has risen almost center commented xHardly anyone comes here 30% per kilogram, and the Burundian franc has anymore. They see no point. I have nothing to make devalued by over 63%. As a result, the Government them well.» budget hardly covers 20% of the minimum needs of

Human rights and the rule of law A recent Amnesty International report on Burundi concluded that: "...one of the main causes of the The promotion and protection of human rights are continuing human rights crisis in Burundi, .is the key to peace-building in Burundi. Commitment to fact that the perpetrators of crimes have been rarely human rights principles must be seen as a brought to justice. Decades of human rights prerequisite to humanitarian assistance as well as violations have been accompanied by decades of to longer-term support for reconstruction. almost total impunity, particularly for members of

4 World Bank Burundi Poverty Note (Draft April 1998) pp 14-15 ~ For example, to find around 1 million reported cases of malana in 1995 from a population of 6 million suggests that, in addition to this one sixth of the population treated for the disease, a much higher proportion is likely to have suffered from the illness during these years without receiving any medical care 16 the security forces and supporters of the Ensuring compliance: With only 14 of 40 observer government in power... there can be no long-term posts filled by the end of 1998 because of lack of peaceful political solutions or guarantee of respect resources, OHCHR in Burundi is desperately under- for human rights in Burundi unless impunity is staffed and underfunded7. Nonetheless, two field ended"6. Although substantial progress is still offices were established in 1998 and over 350 required, during the last two years encouraging missions were deployed of which 160 were observer steps have been taken in three areas: missions, covering prisons, other institutions of the judiciary system and investigating allegations of Promoting justice: One of the most important human rights violations. elements of the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Burundi Sanctions: who suffers most? (OHCHR-B) is reform of the judicial system at both national and provincial levels. In collaboration with "Before the embargo a pair of shoes cost FrBu the Government, OHCHR seeks to guarantee the 2,000, now they cost FrBu 6,000. A mattress cost impartiality of the justice system and to reestablish FrBu 7,000, now it costs FrBu 18,000. But my wages the rule of law. A technical cooperation exists which, remain the same. Things were already difficult during the past five years, has aimed at reinforcing before. How will we make ends meet?" Domestic the rule of law by increasing the institutional capacity worker in Bujumbura. of the Ministries of Justice and Education through, for instance, organization of seminars and training Prior to 1993, with an annual per capita income of workshops with governmental employees, national just USD 160, Burundi was already one of the media and youth groups. The program of judiciary poorest countries in the world. With over 90% of assistance provides funds to hire national and the population living from subsistence agriculture, international lawyers to ensure fairer trials as well the manufacturing and services sectors remained as to promote educational objectives. During the embryonic. For hard currency earnings, the first nine months of 1998, the criminal chambers in economy relied almost exclusively on coffee, which Bujumbura, Gitega and Ngozi passed 282 accounted for 80% of export revenue in the early judgements with support from the judicial assistance '90s, and to a lesser extent on tea. program. OHCHR also provides training to magistrates, court clerks and others employed in This fragile economy was further weakened by the the judicial system to promote a deeper outbreak of hostilities in late 1993; overall production understanding of the justice system and has since declined by an annual average of 5%. international norms. Thus far, nearly 200 The percentage of the rural population living under magistrates. 70 prison administrators, 50 clerks and the poverty line increased from 35% in 1990 to 58% 50 judicial investigators have been trained. In in 1997, while the percentage of urban poor addition, OHCHR seeks to harmonise key legal increased from 33% in 1992 to 66% in 1996. texts, such as the Civil and Penal Codes, with international human rights norms. Reeling from the effects of two and a half years of civil war, the Burundian economy was dealt a further Reforming prisons: The conditions in Burundi's blow when neighboring countries imposed a prisons provide a dramatic, example of the extent comprehensive economic embargo in response to of the challenge. A key aspect of prison reform is to the coup d'etat of July 1996. The sanctions, ensure expedient and fair delivery of justice and compounding the effects of conflict, have sent improve prison conditions. Over-crowding has commodity prices soaring, contributing to a 36% reached calamitous proportions. Burundi's eleven increase in the general price index over the course official penitentiairies, built to hold 3,500 prisoners, of the first year alone and virtually doubling the currently house close to 10,000. The administration average family's household costs between July is struggling to feed detainees, some 80% of whom 1996 and July 1997. The prices of almost all basic have been incarcerated without trial for periods goods and services have continued to rise sharply running to several years. In one prison alone over over the past two years - while wages have 200 people, an average of 50 detainees per month, remained static. Even though many basic foods are died from malnutrition and respirator/ infections produced locally, a threefold increase in transport from January to April 1998. In another detention costs have caused their prices to soar. The cost of centre 42 died from bacillary dysentery during a an average food basket, for instance, has increased seven week penod. by 120%.

Burundi: Justice on Trial. Amnesty International (July 1998). 7 The Government of Bunjna in fact, requested at cr.e point that hro monitors Be placed in every commune, requiring a total of 228 such observers. 17

Although fuel is now more readily available owing For the subsistence farmers, the embargo has to the growing porosity of the country's borders, greatly-reduced the availability of agricultural inputs prices are still three times higher than before the like tools and fertilizers. Seed distributions by the coup d'etat of 1996 and the sanctions that followed. humanitarian community have also been delayed At the same time, the value of the Burundian franc due to the blockage of stocks in neighboring has depreciated by over 63%. countries, causing these hard-pressed farmers to sow late and reap less.

July '96 Nov. '98 % Increase Item (kg) The rise of the parallel economy and the loss of Rice 180 383 113% export opportunities has deprived the government Maize 80 193 142% of vital revenue. Already operating under a 30% budget deficit, it is even less able than before to Wheat flour 600 200% 200 provide the resources needed by key ministries like Yellow bean 160 483 202% health and education. The result, as we have seen, Peas 200 1 167 483% is that schools and health centers remain closed, or can only provide less than minimal services for Palm oil (litre) 635 154% 250 which much of the population is unable to pay. Banana 100 233 133%

White onion 180 367 104% As a result of high inflation, stagnant salaries and rising unemployment due to a deflated job market, Tomato 383 113% 180 even urban employees in secure jobs such as those Powd. Milk 1600 5500 244% in the public sector, are struggling to meet the rising Egg 40 70 75% cost of living with a meager wage packet that buys less every week. The sanctions are creating real 700 1 300 86% Goat meat hardship and disaffection among the urban Salt 150 300 100% moderates who are a vital constituency for the Source : FAO political processes underway both inside and outside the country. As such, they are thus actually undermining the achievements of recent months. Price of average food basket 1 Defenders of the embargo say that it has played an 12000, X yU' ; >i^ -,— .---l-,---I.1-.- important role in these developments by bringing / 10000. 1 the Government to the Arusha bargaining table. / 1 ^ Moreover, it is felt that if the sanctions are lifted too 8030. ? 'l 7—7 soon, the Arusha peace process might very well 6000./ f ^ A ! collapse. However, while the sanctions are seen / i ^ "" 4000. f- • by some to be encouraging compromise, they are 2000./; also exacerbating a dramatic decline in the s /• s /r y economic well-being of a country already wracked 0 s' by instability and crisis. Furthermore, the sanctions July'96 Nov. '98 have been erratically implemented, and the creative means employed to circumvent them give rise to Source: FAO large-scale profiteering. This is hardly engendering an environment conducive to the country's future The sanctions are causing great hardship- right peace and security. across Burundian society, from urban employees to the poorest peasants, including those who have WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY been displaced by the conflict and who rely on outside help for survival. In response to pressure A new approach to reinstallation from the international and humanitarian communities the sanctions have gradually been "We will never return to our former home. Maybe eased to allow imports of basic relief items. But one day our younger children, who did not the delivery of assistance often continues to be experience what we did and who have no memories hampered by the opaque, cumbersome and time- to haunt them, maybe they will go back. But not consuming procedures necessary to obtain us." - Displaced couple living in a camp in exemptions for relief goods. Many agencies have Muramvya province. equipment blocked in the ports of neighboring countries for months at a time, leading to operational difficulties and delays and shortages of essential items. 18

With the international community uncertain as to the willingness of the parties to the conflict to achieve a negotiated settlement, donors have been reluctant to get involved in long-term, structural commitments in Burundi, concentrating instead on emergency programmes such as food aid. nutrition and medical assistance. Assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction has thus remained limited, tending to focus exclusively on populations resettling in their original homes and on their original land.

As indicated in earlier sections of this report, the political and security situation in Burundi has evolved considerably in recent months. In response, a broader concept of humanitarian action has been developed, incorporating a comprehensive and integrated approach to reinstallation. In many parts .-1 family rebuilds their house in Ruyigi province. of the country the conditions are now in place for a In addition to this basic definition, three key progressive but comprehensive effort to support principles were identified as essential to a new. more sustainable reinstallation. Pilot activities financed comprehensive and integrated approach to by UNDP and selected NGOs have demonstrated reinstallation. They include: the potential viablity of such efforts. Evidence from provinces such as Ruyigi. Karuzi and Rutana Community viability: Assessment of the feasibility suggests that this approach promotes peace and of reinstallation should be based on an appreciation reconciliation at community level and progressively of the complex social systems that exist in reduces long-term dependence on relief assistance. Burundian communities, in which groups of families share resources and responsibilities. A representative cross-section of the humanitarian community in Burundi met in July 1998 to discuss Integration: The construction or rehabilitation of issues related to long-term reinstallation and the housing provides protection, restores dignity and delivery of humanitarian assistance. Among other promotes stability, but should not be undertaken in recommendations, a new definition for sustainable isolation. An integrated approach to sustainable reinstallation was proposed : reinstallation must include the rehabilitation of essential social infrastructure that existed (or was Sustainable reinstallation in Burundi is the voluntary planned) before the crisis, and support for income and long-term settlement of hitherto uprooted generating activities. populations in a stable environment in which the household can engage in activities offering viable Participation: A dynamic partnership must be options for self-sufficiency. created between the communities concerned, the appropriate authorities and humanitarian agencies, While upholding the principles of free will, dignity, including donors. If it is to be sustainable, and stability, this definition also reflects the current reinstallation must be a collective effort involving situation in Burundi in two ways. Firstly, it the population concerned (e.g.. in the actual acknowledges the structural problem that is one of the root causes of the present crisis: the increasing construction of houses), outside organizations (e.g. strain placed on finite resources by unremitting in the rehabilitation of social infrastructure and demographic growth and an archaic land tenure income generating activities) and the Government (e.g., in making the requisite human and material system, as a result of which it may not always be resources available to ensure the effective possible for long-term displaced to return home. Secondly, it recognizes that a small percentage of functioning of rehabilitated infrastructure). All three the uprooted population, afflicted by the lasting partners should be involved in' all phases of trauma of a generation of communal violence, will reinstallation (i.e.. planning and definition of objectives, implementation, monitoring and refuse to return to their collines of origin in the evaluation), even if their specific contributions differ. foreseeable future. Nonetheless, the overiding priority is clear: to facilitate the return of as many people as possible to their original homes. It was also agreed that all reinstallation activities, regardless of their size, source of funding or implementing partners, would meet four fundamental criteria: 19

Stability and security: All partners in the effort, most importantly the families involved, must believe that the move is permanent and that the community will not be chased or forced away.

Willingness to move: The community befng resettled must want to move. Long term reinstallation must not be in any way forced, and the timing of the process must take account of practical considerations, notably the agricultural cycle.

Access to land or a means of support: Every resettled family must have viable options for self- sufficiency. Generally, this will mean access to land and essential agricultural inputs, although other options may be available in some cases. Regular access 10 land will once again enable Access to basic services: Resettled communities Buruniiian farmers to become self sufficient. must have access to life-sustaining social services such as water and sanitation facilities, primary health care and schools. Time to act

Within the framework of the UN Resident Burundi is once again at a crossroads In the past Coordinator System and the Office of the such critical junctures have been unrecognized, Humanitarian Coordinator, these principles have ignored, or in some cases, deliberately squandered. been discussed extensively with both national and To ensure that the present opportunity is fully local authorities, as well as with representatives of exploited, four key areas require immediate support. civil society in Burundi. As a result, a broad-based consensus has developed on a framework for Filling the relief-development gap. During a humanitarian assistance, with a view to promoting session on humanitarian issues held in July 1998. the sustainable reinstallation of as many families the member governments of the United Nations as possible during the next 12-18 months. This Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). framework will underpin the 1999 Consolidated recognized that the phases of relief, rehabilitation, Appeal for Burundi as well as most other proposals reconstruction and development are generally not for funding, whether developed by the United consecutive but occur simultaneously. The Council Nations, international NGOs or national partners. recommended that a comprehensive approach be developed for countries in crisis, in which key The humanitarian community is aware of the many aspects of recovery, peace-building, human rights, constraints that could threaten further progress in economic growth and sustainable development are the coming months including, among others, included. Five years into the current crisis, such an continued insecurity in the areas where most of the approach has yet to be developed for Burundi. Yet displaced live and insufficient will to reach a political in the twelve provinces that enjoy relative peace solution acceptable to the majority. Another and stability, there are many examples of families constraint thus far has been the relative lack of rebuilding their lives and opportunities for growth resources for anything but strictly defined and positive change. With the meager resources emergency activities. It is hoped that the available, humanitarian agencies have already international community is ready to support a shown the potential of effective local partnerships broadened concept of humanitarian assistance and that respond to the communities they serve. To to recognize the inextricable links between survive and expand, these efforts need emergency, relief and development action. The consolidation and greater support. success of the new framework largely depends on this fundamental shift in perspective'and a renewed Expanding the boundaries of assistance. For the commitment to helping Burundi emerge from the past two years, the international community has current crisis. limited its response to Burundi to a narrow concept of emergency assistance. While such aid has 20 helped keep families alive, it has failed to restore largely restricted to emergency actions in selected their hope, dignity or chances for a better future. It provinces. Far too little attention has been given to is critical that this support be broadened to extend addressing the underlying causes of the conflict or beyond the distribution of relief supplies to include to supporting communities that have managed to a more comprehensive, holistic approach to move beyond chaos and despair. Continued failure community rehabilitation and development. The in this regard will hamper - if not snuff out entirely - framework for humanitarian assistance described the fragile progress now underway. in this report, which calls for the long-term strengthening of the communities to which the This is the essence of constructive engagement in displaced and repatriated return, is a significant step Burundi. Far from an unquestioning acceptance of in this direction. Government policies or positions, it involves critical, on-going dialogue with all groups working toward Supporting efforts for peace. While not without reconstruction and peace, backed up by support weaknesses, the peace efforts underway inside for targeted, carefully-designed actions, primarily at Burundi must be recognized as unique in a sub- community level. Consensus is building on the need region wracked by violent conflict. A process is in for a more reasonable response to Burundi's place which, if reinforced by an effective regional suffering. A recent World Bank report calls for basic initiative, could lead to substantial political reform. social protection initiatives, including agricultural The inextricable links between these two processes credit, social funds and the rehabilitation of - and. in particular, the importance of the internal infrastructure, which will assist in preserving process in creating an environment for peace and Burundi's social and human capital and in preventing reconciliation - must be fully appreciated if either further deterioration of social indicators.9 one has a chance to succeed. Constructive engagement in Burundi would reinforce strategies that reduce poverty, avert Reinforcing hope and progress. Action taken now conflict and foster respect for human rights. It would will make a critical difference to the chances for acknowledge progress thus far achieved while peace in Burundi. But such action requires clearly recognizing all that remains to be done - to resources, which have not been forthcoming for the improve governance, ensure the rights of all citizens last two years. The external development aid and share resources more equitably. Perhaps most received by Burundi has plummeted from USD 288 importantly, it would reassure Burundians that the million in 1990-1992 to USD 39 million in 1997. In world is watching - and is supportive of - their 1992, external grants represented 34% of state fledgling efforts toward peaceful coexistence. expenditure; by 1996 this had declined to 13%. Basic services have been hardest hit. Between Under the circumstances, it is a testament to the 1990-1996 infrastructure investment in health Burundian people that so much has been achieved diminished by 60%, education and social over the past two years. They have slowly development (including water and sanitation) by succeeded in prising open a window of opportunity 84% and agriculture by 92%.8 And the trend through which the voice of reason and moderation continues. The response of donors to the 1998 can at last be faintly heard. The international Consolidated Appeal for Burundi equaled just one community must now help Burundi widen the third of the funds requested, the vast bulk of that in opening, before continuing hate and violence slam the form of food aid. Even in light of the limited it shut again. Now is the time to act - to weigh in on support received by the Consolidated Appeal the side of peace, hope and compromise. process generally, this lack of response is startling. Furthermore, the international aid received has been Later may well prove too late.

Figures taken from reports of the World Bank (1998) and IMF (September 1997) ' World Bank Poverty Note. pp. 27-29. Key Facts:

Total population 6.2 million Population density 228 per km2 IDPs in sites 558,000 (i.e. 9% of the country's population) Sites 322 Refugees outside Burundi 324,000 (Tan-291,000, DRC-30,000, Rwanda-3,000) Refugees inside Burundi 30,000 (20,000 and 6,500 old- and new-caseload Congolese, respectively 2,000 Rwandans) Returnees 189,000 (Jan-72,000, DRC-110,000, Rwanda-6,500) Feeding centre beneficiaries 40,000/day (average) Feeding centres 230 Food aid beneficiaries 345,000/day (average) IDPs without access to minimum requirement of potable water 91% Primary school attendance decline from 70% in 1992 to 53% in 1997 Illiteracy rate 66% Infant mortality rate increase from 110 ('92) to 136/1,000 live births ('96) Immunisation coverage decline from 83% in 1993 to 54% in 1996 HIV infection rate 21% in urban, 6% in rural areas Human development index decline from 0.34 in 1992 to 0.30 in 1996 N°. of prisoners 9,600 (of which 80% are awaiting trial)

• UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Survey, November-December 1997

• Statistiques scolaires, Annuaire 1992-1993,1997-1998, Ministers de I'Education

• Burundi Poverty Note, World Bank 1998

• UNDP Human Development Report, 1997

• Impact Socio-Economique des Sanctions, PNUD, Novembre 1997

- Analyse Diagnostique de la situation de violence a I'egard des Femmes Sinistrees au Burundi, FNUAP, Avril 1998