Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her policy is on providing additional funds to the Regional Refugee Response Plan for the situation in Burundi.

We are seriously concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Burundi.

To support the international response and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Burundi Regional Refugee Response Plan, DFID has provided £9.25million to support relief efforts for Burundian refugees fleeing to Tanzania and £3.9million to support Burundian refugees in Rwanda. This funding will be deployed to provide life-saving activities (water and sanitation infrastructure, shelter, health and food rations).

We have deployed human resources to improve the quality of the response (a secondment to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to work with the country team in Burundi to strengthen coordination and planning, as well as a DFID Humanitarian Advisor to work with Tanzania and Rwanda DFID offices to monitor the situation and develop appropriate programme responses).

DFID is also the main donor to the international NGO consortium START network, which provides funding to international NGOs to rapidly respond to emergencies and build the capacity of local NGOs. DFID has provided £13.7million to the network for its global operations since April 2014. To support the humanitarian response to the Burundian situation, START has so far released £442,327 in Burundi, £275,281 in Rwanda, £ 430,203 in Tanzania and £330,000 in the DRC.

DFID continues to work closely with the FCO to monitor the situation in Burundi and in the surrounding areas and to work with our partners to respond to needs on the ground.