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THOUSANDS of refugees fleeing instability in Burundi are living in desperate, overcrowded conditions, at risk of disease and without shelter, reports charity Plan International.
At least 50,000 have amassed in the tiny village of Kagunga, to wait for boat trips to take them across Lake Tanganyika to refugee camps in Tanzania.
Fears are growing that the situation could deteriorate dramatically over the coming days without international action.
“Refugees are piled together, squeezed between the hillside and the coastal line. There is not even room for them to set up makeshift shelters,” says Steve Williams, Plan’s Emergency Response Manager, who has been deployed from the UK.
“Families just sit on top of each other, as they wait and wait for the passage to the other side of the lake, where even worse conditions await them,” he adds.
On arrival, they are processed at Kigoma Football Stadium, now a transit camp, before being taken to the permanent Nyarugusu camps further inland, which is already overcrowded.
At least 3,500 cases of cholera have been identified in the three locations, with 30 deaths.
“Authorities cannot keep pace with the new intake so families are being kept at the stadium for days on end, with limited clean water and sanitation facilities,” says Mr Williams.
“The children are withdrawn, many are on their own. Some have thinned and patchy hair, showing signs of extreme malnutrition. There is limited violence so far but this cannot last long, with so many people in such a desperate situation.
“The next few days are crucial. The international community is going to have to pull together to get on top of this emergency in order to save lives,” he adds.
Plan was one of the first organisations to send field teams to Kagunga and Kigoma.
It is now working with the International Rescue Committee and UNICEF to set up safe spaces for children to learn and play, as well as helping them receive support and referrals for further care.
Burundi has been increasingly unstable since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term, sparking protests which culminated in a failed coup last week.
More than 112,000 people have fled, including at least 76,000 to Tanzania, nearly 27,000 to Rwanda and 9,000 to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For more information on Plan’s work or to make a donation call 0800 526 848 or visit www.plan-uk.org
