Since 5 December, more than 90,000 refugees have fled to Burundi after the escalation of violence in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. In Busuma camp, Ruyigi, 65,000 people have been officially settled and face a dire humanitarian situation, far from humanitarian standards in terms of access to water, food and healthcare.
MSF has opened a clinic in Busuma camp to provide primary healthcare to the population and is supporting the Ministry of Health in a cholera treatment centre (CTC). Despite a gradual improvement in the response from the authorities and humanitarian actors, it is estimated that each person currently has access to 2.5 litres of water per day, and there is an average of one latrine for every 98 people. MSF teams and other humanitarian actors are delivering water by tanker truck, but there is still a huge need to ensure vital hygiene for the population and limit the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
In these extremely difficult living conditions, where deaths have been reported, the response must be scaled up immediately to guarantee a minimum level of vital services for the refugee populations. Humanitarian organisations on the ground need immediate financial resources to cover these needs.