Refugee agency receives OPEC Fund money for reintegration

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has received US $300,000 from the OPEC Fund for International Development to help returning Burundian refugees to reintegrate, the agency reported on Monday. The money would be used to "finance an urgent operation to assist some 4,000 families who recently returned to two provinces in northeastern Burundi", Ron Redmond, the UNHCR spokesperson, was quoted as saying. Some of the funds would go towards the reconstruction of refugees' homes. UNHCR in Burundi is one of the largest programmes in Africa. In 2004, the agency oversaw the return of 90,000 refugees from neighbouring Tanzania. Of these returnees, 12,000 went to the eastern province of Muyinga, and 6,000 others went to Kirundo Province in the north. The refugee agency said it had provided returning families with materials that they could not easily procure, given their limited means, and had also supported income-generating projects. In particular, it had helped small-to-medium enterprises "that use, create and market local produce and resources" to develop. In cooperation with other partners, it had also conducted short-term vocational-skills training, to help the returnees set up small businesses. UNHCR helps to make sure there is no scarcity of resources, which often causes tension between the local community and returning refugees. The agency said food shortages were particularly acute in north, northeast and central Burundi - areas traditionally considered the country's food basket. The OPEC Fund's donation comes after the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said last week that two million Burundians would need emergency food aid this year - 40 percent more than last year. "This crisis comes just when Burundi is making some clear progress towards peace and stability," Zlatan Milisic, WFP country director for Burundi, was quoted as saying. "After so many years of war, living conditions for most Burundians are very harsh, and this drought is creating additional pressure on an already deeply impoverished people." [Two million people face food shortage, UN agency says]