A humanitarian assessment mission has visited the province of Rutana in the southeast following a wave of fighting between the army and rebels last month in three of its communes - Gitanga, Rutana and Musongati. A report issued by UNOCHA-Burundi noted that 1,500 families had been displaced in Gitanga and 1,187 in Rutana. Musongati was still affected by fighting and a final estimate had not been made. The report pointed out that the situation remains extremely volatile and the population of a displaced persons’ site at Ngoma in Musongati fluctuated according to the level of fighting. The report warned that population displacement due to fighting - particularly in the heavily war-affected southern provinces of Rutana, Makamba and Ruyigi - could turn into a “chronic issue”.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article