There were 119,890 IDPs in Burundi as of April 2019 according to IOM’s Data Tracking Matrix, 76 per cent of the factors of displacement are linked to natural disasters, 24 per cent are linked to the socio political situation.

As of 18 June 2019, merely 27.9 million USD was received out of the total requirements of 106 million USD for the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Burundi which includes the humanitarian needs of Burundian returnees. Out of the 31.4 million USD specifically required to support sustainable return and reintegration; less than 600,000 USD has been received thus far.

Majority of Burundian refugees in Rwanda are engaged in agriculture. An average of 312 refugees per day were employed in Moringa tree plantation near Mahama refugee camp.

REFUGEES FROM KHARTOUM REGISTERED, ASSISTED IN WHITE NILE STATE – In White Nile State, Level I registration of newly displaced refugees from Khartoum ‘open areas’ went on in Um Sangour and Alagaya camps, with 571 households registered and supported with non-food items and food assistance. These are among the 5,500 refugees who relocated to camps in White Nile in June following attacks on their communities that included sexual and gender-based violence and looting. UNHCR and the Commission of Refugees (COR) conducted an assessment in Alagaya camp targeting refugees who had arrived from Khartoum. The assessment aimed to find the driving factors for refugees fleeing from Khartoum. Some of the key factors were the fragile security situation, and demonstrations in Khartoum and the need to register as refugees which will enable them to benefit from assistance and services in camps.

SUDAN REGISTERS 883 NEW ARRIVALS IN JULY – July saw the lowest number of South Sudanese refugees arriving in Sudan so far in 2019, with 883 refugees coming into the country, bringing the total number of new arrivals to 14,758.

HEAVY RAINS IN SOUTH KORDOFAN STATE RENDER FIVE REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS INACCESSABLE DUE TO WASHED OUT ROADS - Over 8,000 refugees live in the affected areas. Some partners are using tractors to access the area. In White Nile State, heavy rains left health facilities in Alagaya and Jouri camps flooded, highlighting the need to improve the health facility structures.

On 30 June, a first case of Ebola was confirmed in Ariwara, Aru Territory, DRC. In order to strengthen preventive measures to contain the virus, UNHCR and its partners conducted four mass sensitization sessions in Biringi, Aru and Aba targeting refugees and host community members.

In June 2019, UNHCR undertook survey of South Sudanese refugees on intention of return and to identify the impediments preventing return, as perceived and conveyed by the refugees. The intention survey will also help guide planning for refugee operations in 2020-2021 as well as to enhance evidence-based decision making for the protection and solutions for South Sudan refugees and returnees.

UNHCR is not promoting voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees, it supports the exercise to ensure that all returns are safe and dignified, and the result of a free and informed choice.

UNHCR AND COR COMPLETE RAINY SEASON PREPAREDNESS NFI DISTRIBUTION IN KHARTOUM’S “OPEN AREAS” - From 23 June to 7 August, UNHCR and the Government of Sudan’s Commission of Refugees (COR) distributed NFI kits to over 15,000 South Sudanese refugee and host community households households across 9 ‘open area’ settlements in Khartoum State. The distribution also targeted newly displaced South Sudanese refugees who fled to Bantiu ‘Open Area’ in June following attacks in Khartoum, as well as vulnerable host community households. The kits included plastic sheets, mosquito nets and sleeping mats, and was part of rainy season preparedness for existing refugees, and emergency response to address the needs of newly displaced families in the open areas. ‘Open areas’ are informal settlements hosting South Sudanese refugees in Khartoum.