From 7 September 2017 to 31 July 2019, 74,979 refugees voluntarily returned to Burundi in an organized manner with the support of UNHCR.

UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda today handed over three ambulances, thirty one motorcycles and a thermal scanner to the Ministry of Health to boost the Ebola response. Uganda has included refugees in the National Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan and continues to keep its borders open, ensuring safe and dignified asylum for the women, children and men arriving daily from the neighbouring countries.

UNHCR welcomes Uganda Communications Commission directive to improve refugees’ access to SIM cards.

In July 2019, the GBV Working Group focused on risk mitigation intervention with the support of UNFPA GBVIE specialist from the roving team. The main purpose of the intervention is to assist humanitarian actors and communities in Jordan to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate essential actions for the prevention and mitigation of GBV across selected sectors of humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. Because of the protracted crisis and the need to strengthen resilience and national capacity this initiative aims as well at involving for the first-time relevant Ministries.

More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been registered in a joint registration exercise by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR. For many of these refugees, it is the first time they have an identity card.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.