icrc-annual-report-2013

CONTEXTThe security environment was relatively stable, with only a fewisolated incidents of armed violence. Political dialogue resumedin preparation for elections in 2015. The establishment of a Truthand Reconciliation Commission, part of the transitional justiceprocess, remained pending.Burundi continued to depend on international aid and to endurethe consequences of underdevelopment. Population growth –driven by high birth rates and the return of refugees from neighbouringcountries, including over 35,000 Burundians deportedfrom the United Republic of Tanzania – continued to fuel ethnictensions and disputes over access to land. Owing to past andongoing conflicts in the region, Burundi also hosted a numberof refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo(hereafter DRC).The Burundian armed forces contributed troops to the AfricanUnion Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and deployed one battalionto the International Support Mission to the Central AfricanRepublic (MISCA).ICRC ACTION AND RESULTSIn 2013, the ICRC concentrated on fostering respect for the population,particularly detainees, and on providing assistance to thoseaffected by past conflicts.ICRC delegates visited detainees in places of permanent andtemporary detention throughout the year to monitor their treatmentand living conditions. Their findings and recommendationswere communicated confidentially to the authoritiesconcerned, through written reports and face-to-face discussions.As a result, steps were taken to improve the treatment ofdetainees: for instance, the authorities in some places of detentionintroduced measures prohibiting the detention of minorsunder the age of 15. The ICRC also supported the detentionsystem more broadly, providing financial, material and technicalassistance to improve inmates’ living conditions. For example, ithelped rehabilitate prison infrastructure and upgrade water andsanitation facilities; the ICRC also aided prison sanitation teamsduring pest-control campaigns. The ICRC covered 80% of thecosts of basic medicines in prison dispensaries and facilitatedaccess to medical treatment, which led to a general improvementin detainees’ health.Technical, financial and training support from the ICRC enabledthe Saint Kizito physical rehabilitation centre to improve the qualityof its physical rehabilitation services and become the country’sreferral centre for fitting disabled people, including demobilizedweapon bearers, with prostheses and orthoses. The centre assumedfull responsibility for procuring the materials required for itsprosthetic/orthotic and physiotherapy services; it also initiatedcoordination efforts with other physical rehabilitation centresin the country, with a view to integrating physical rehabilitationservices into the national health system.The ICRC conducted site assessments on the mass grave inKivyuka with a view to providing forensic expertise to the authoritiesin managing the human remains buried there. However, it hadto cancel its plans to lend such support as the authorities decidedto conduct the exhumations themselves. Nevertheless, the ICRCmaintained its dialogue with the national authorities and othersinvolved in transitional justice and the issue of missing persons toexchange pertinent information and monitor developments.The ICRC maintained its dialogue with political and militaryauthorities as part of its effort to reinforce understanding of andrespect for basic humanitarian principles and the Movement’swork. Encouraged by the ICRC, Burundi signed the Arms TradeTreaty and acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Conventionagainst Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment. The ICRC provided technical adviceand training support to the armed forces in their efforts to integrateIHL into military doctrine, training and operations. ICRCtrainedinstructors briefed five Burundian contingents on IHLbefore their deployment with AMISOM.With ICRC support, the Burundi Red Cross further strengthenedits capacities in the areas of emergency preparedness, first aid andrestoring family links. The National Society continued to collectand distribute RCMs in all 17 of the country’s provinces; it alsoimproved its family-links services through the use of technology,such as by scanning RCMs and offering phone calls. Burundiansdeported from the United Republic of Tanzania were met at theborder by National Society volunteers who provided emergencyassistance. The National Society’s enhanced capacities in waterstorage and treatment techniques allowed it to respond effectivelyto a cholera outbreak.Movement partners met regularly to exchange views and coordinateactivities.CIVILIANSReturnees ease their conditions following their deportationBurundians deported from the United Republic of Tanzania,particularly vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children,the sick and the elderly, arrived at the border in varying statesof distress. Most of them had no possessions or were separatedfrom their families. They coped with their situation thanks toemergency response operations carried out by the National Societyin coordination with other humanitarian agencies and with ICRCsupport. Some families received emergency relief. Newly arriveddeportees received first aid and psychological support as necessary.Some of them returned to their communities of origin, in NationalSociety vehicles with fuel supplied by the ICRC.Scanned RCMs and phone services help separated relativesrestore contactFamily members dispersed while fleeing past fighting in Burundior neighbouring countries – including Congolese and Rwandanrefugees – restored contact through family-links services run bythe National Society/ICRC. Through these services, 80 peoplewere located, four children repatriated to the DRC, one child fromthe DRC reunited with his family in Burundi, and four vulnerablepersons reunited with their relatives in Burundi after theirrepatriation from the United Republic of Tanzania. The volumeof RCMs collected and distributed by the National Society inBurundi decreased by around 20%, partly because more than33,000 Burundian refugees returned to the country after aTanzanian refugee camp closed down in 2012. These returnees,including unaccompanied minors, had the progress of their reintegrationassessed by National Society volunteers to determinewhether further support was needed.ICRC ANNUAL REPORT BURUNDI 2013 | 119