The Burundian refugee situation is at present the lowest funded of any situation globally. At present just 28 per cent of the US$206 million needed has been received. The impact on the 400,000 refugees in neighbouring countries is acute.

In Uganda, limited resources means not having enough staff to ensure quality of child protection services and adequate follow up on children in care arrangements. There is one caseworker for every 150 children, and children make up some 63 per cent of the refugee population. Water provision to refugees also remains below what is required.

The lack of funding has stopped UNHCR’s cash-based assistance programme in Rwanda’s Mahama camp for 19,500 families, severely affecting refugees’ ability to meet their own basic needs.

In Uganda’s Nakivale settlement thousands of refugee families are using overcrowded communal latrines, with risk of disease outbreaks, little privacy, and exposure of women and children in particular to protection risks. Education is very basic, with insufficient learning materials and overcrowded classrooms.

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS TO NORTH DARFUR ONGOING AS REFUGEES SEEK WORK – Biometric registration of refugees in Al Lait locality is ongoing. More than 500 refugees previously registered in East Darfur have arrived in Al Lait since August seeking casual labour opportunities during the locality’s harvest period. Over 60 per cent of newly registered refugees to North Darfur are young single males. Farming is a key source of refugee livelihoods across Al Lait and is a key draw for refugees to the area. Host communities are also engaged in land-use arrangements with refugee farmers to allow refugees to cultivate land with harvest-sharing agreements.

SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEE DELEGATION IN KHARTOUM SHARE EXPECTATIONS FROM REVIVED PEACE TALKS WITH SOUTH SUDAN’S LEADERS - On September 4, a group of 16 South Sudanese refugees from Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) met in Khartoum with the signatories of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and other political parties and stakeholders from South Sudan’s civil society. The refugees appealed to the international community to continue to support the people of South Sudan, and said that they will only return to South Sudan if the situation on the ground improves and there is a strong commitment to the agreement by all parties. They also expressed their readiness to play a greater role in awareness-raising and rebuilding trust amongst South Sudanese communities both in South Sudan and in exile. The meeting was facilitated by UNHCR in collaboration with the Government of Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Commissioner of Refugees (COR) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).

HEALTH SERVICE GAPS EMERGING IN NORTH DARFUR - A health service gap has emerged in North Darfur State affecting about 14,000 refugees living in settlements, as well as their host communities who benefit from- and rely on this clinic and health services. Health partners are urgently needed to sustain health services in the area.

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS TO NORTH DARFUR ONGOING AS REFUGEES SEEK WORK – Biometric registration of refugees in Al Lait locality is ongoing. More than 500 refugees previously registered in East Darfur have arrived in Al Lait since August seeking casual labour opportunities during the locality’s harvest period. Over 60 per cent of newly registered refugees to North Darfur are young single males.

Due to a notably slower rate of new arrivals of South Sudanese in the first half of the year, the inter-agency partners in Sudan and Uganda agreed to revise the original estimates of 200,000 individuals. The overall regional projected South Sudanese refugee population reduced by 0.5 million and stands at 2.68 million refugees by end 2018.

“UNHCR is not promoting returns to Burundi at this stage, but we continue to work with the governments of Burundi and host countries, including Tanzania, to assist those who feel now is the time for them to return home.”