Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to address the situation of refugees from Burundi; and if she will make a statement.

DFID has provided £9.25 million to support the relief efforts for Burundian refugees fleeing to Tanzania, through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Oxfam. Additionally, DFID has approved £3.9 million to support Burundian refugees in Rwanda. These packages will be used to fund the transport of refugees to camps, shelter, medical care, water and sanitation infrastructure, food rations, and to support the deployment of expert personnel.

In 2014 DFID supported UNICEF and the WFP through a separate programme in Burundi to prepare to assist up to 10,000 people in the event of a humanitarian crisis. This support will continue in 2015 and extend to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and UNHCR.

DFID is also the main donor to the international NGO consortium START network, providing £13.7 million to the network for its global operations since April 2014. START has so far released £442,327 in Burundi, £275,281 in Rwanda, £430,203 in Tanzania, and £330,000 in the DRC, in support of the humanitarian response.

DFID is working closely with the FCO to monitor the situation in Burundi and in the surrounding countries.