The humanitarian impacts of economic sanctions on Burundi

transport and the shortage <strong>of</strong> industrial inputs. <strong>The</strong> price <strong>of</strong> beer,
also produced locally, was tightly regulated by the state. <strong>The</strong> rise
in price <strong>of</strong> beans following the imposition <strong>of</strong> <strong>sanctions</strong> can be seen
in Figure 2.3.
<strong>The</strong> embargo influenced the price <strong>of</strong> foodstuffs in several
ways. First, as mentioned, the rising cost <strong>of</strong> fuel led to increased
transport costs. Second, a shortage <strong>of</strong> seeds, fertilizers, pesticides,
and other agricultural inputs resulted in lower crop yields and poor
supply. Third, foods that otherwise would have been imported to
<strong>of</strong>fset poor harvests and to moderate prices (e.g. beans from
Tanzania, potatoes from Rwanda) were blocked due to the
embargo. Fourth, smuggled food had added to its price the cost <strong>of</strong>
bribes and pay<strong>of</strong>fs required to negotiate police and border controls.
As stable smuggling supply lines were established, the prices
<strong>of</strong> many imports stabilized or even declined slightly.
However, many factors unrelated to <strong>sanctions</strong> also influenced
the price <strong>of</strong> foodstuffs. Foremost among these was the effect <strong>of</strong> the
ongoing civil war. Internal displacement <strong>of</strong> up to 500,000 per-
Table 2.1: Percentage <strong>of</strong> Price Increases
Item July 1996 February 1997 % Increase
Salt 120 300 150
Gasoline (liter) 165 600 264
Beans 120 240 100
Rice 180 380 111
Wheat flour 200 350 75
Bananas 100 200 100
Potatoes 80 130 63
Tomatoes 180 450 150
Powdered milk 1,600 5,270 229
Beef 1,000 1,400 40
Fish (fresh) 400 2,500 525
Cooking oil (liter) 250 300 20
Sugar 230 400 74
Beer 200 226 13
Charcoal (bag) 1,800 2,500 39
Cement (sack) 3,000 6,000 100
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