Stressed (IPC Phase 2) food insecurity persists in some areas even during the harvest period

• Despite improved food availability during the Season B harvest period, food security remains Stressed (IPC Phase 2) in areas where ongoing civil unrest and insecurity have disrupted agricultural activities, reducing harvests and labor opportunities for poor households, particularly in Kirundo, Makamba, and Muyinga provinces. 

• WFP and the Red Cross Burundi delivered a second round of general food distributions in August targeting 100,000 people in Kirundo, Makamba, and Bujumbura Marie provinces with 1,160 metric tons of food. According to WFP, current funding shortfalls will affect humanitarian operations starting in November.  

• The September to December main lean season is expected to be more severe than normal in provinces most affected by political violence and instability. Ongoing insecurity will likely disrupt Season A planting, which typically begins in October. 

Despite improved food availability during the Season B harvest period, food security remains Stressed (IPC Phase 2) in areas most affected by ongoing civil unrest and insecurity, particularly in Kirundo, Muyinga, Makamba, and Bujumbura Mairie provinces. Disruptions to agricultural activities in these areas have reduced harvests and labor opportunities for the poor and persistent insecurity has disrupted trade and reduced physical access to markets. Field reports suggest earlier-than-normal coping in Kirundo and Bujumbura Mairie where some poor households are selling more livestock than normal and other productive assets, in response to reduced food and income. Atypical labor migration and displacement to neighboring countries continues. Ongoing instability is expected to disrupt Season A planting which typically begins in October.

Staple food prices either stabilized or declined seasonally in most markets in July due to increased cereal availability and supply from Season B harvests, and continued imports from Uganda and Tanzania. However, atypical price increases were observed in areas most affected by political instability, particularly in the north of the country. Food prices are expected to increase seasonally during the September to December main lean season.

WFP and the Red Cross Burundi delivered a second round of general food distributions in August in the three provinces most-affected by the election crisis, targeting 75,000 people Kirundo, 30,000 in Makamba, and 350 Bujumbura Marie provinces with 1,160 metric tons of food. According to WFP, current funding shortfalls will affect humanitarian operations starting in November.  

According to the UNHCR, as of August 25, 190,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries since April 2015 with Tanzania and Rwanda hosting 45 and 40 percent of refugees, respectively. However, the size of the total Burundian refugee population is likely higher as this figure does not include unregistered refugees residing with host families. Refugee and transit camps in Rwanda, Tanzania, and the DRC are operating beyond capacity, constraining access to water, sanitation, and adequate food.

Stressed (IPC Phase 2) is expected to persist in the coming months in Kirundo, Muyinga, and Makamba provinces due to below-average Season B harvests, and the impacts of continued political instability, violence, and displacement on access to food and income.