In Uganda, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly released the revised 2019-2020 Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP). The revision is a result of an exercise of planning figures, targets and budgets with a reduced refugee population as of year-end 2018 which started last February.

As of 18 June 2019, merely 27.9 million USD was received out of the total requirements of 106 million USD for the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Burundi which includes the humanitarian needs of Burundian returnees. Out of the 31.4 million USD specifically required to support sustainable return and reintegration; less than 600,000 USD has been received thus far.

On 30 June, a first case of Ebola was confirmed in Ariwara, Aru Territory, DRC. In order to strengthen preventive measures to contain the virus, UNHCR and its partners conducted four mass sensitization sessions in Biringi, Aru and Aba targeting refugees and host community members.

Majority of Burundian refugees in Rwanda are engaged in agriculture. An average of 312 refugees per day were employed in Moringa tree plantation near Mahama refugee camp.

UNHCR is not promoting voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees, it supports the exercise to ensure that all returns are safe and dignified, and the result of a free and informed choice.

UNHCR welcomes Uganda Communications Commission directive to improve refugees’ access to SIM cards.

UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda today handed over three ambulances, thirty one motorcycles and a thermal scanner to the Ministry of Health to boost the Ebola response. Uganda has included refugees in the National Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan and continues to keep its borders open, ensuring safe and dignified asylum for the women, children and men arriving daily from the neighbouring countries.

From 7 September 2017 to 31 July 2019, 74,979 refugees voluntarily returned to Burundi in an organized manner with the support of UNHCR.

We are pleased to announce that the Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan (JRRRP), an integrated inter-agency response plan to ensure the sustainable return and reintegration of Burundi refugees from the five main countries of asylum (Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya) is now available online. The JRRRP articulates the joint strategy to receive voluntarily repatriating refugees and provide both humanitarian and development oriented community-based response activities reaching an estimated 74,000 assisted and self -organized refugee returns in 2017and 2018, up to 116,000 refugee returns projected for 2019, as well as an additional 82,000 community members in the six main provinces of return. The plan brings together 19 partners within Burundi, including Government ministries, UN agencies and NGOs with a rationale to assist displacement affected communities in Burundi by strengthening their absorption capacity and resilience. While UNHCR is of the opinion conditions in Burundi are not currently conducive to promote returns, UNHCR and partners are supporting a solutions oriented approach by assisting refugees who indicate they have made a free and informed choice to voluntarily return. More than 75,000 refugees have returned to Burundi through the assisted voluntary repatriation program since September 2017, while others have returned on their own, citing the wish to return to their houses and farms, and to reunite with family. With respect to recent media statements by the governments of Tanzania and Burundi about plans to repatriate refugees more quickly on a bilateral basis, UNHCR continues to call upon the commitment of both governments to uphold international obligations and ensure that any returns are voluntary and conducted in line with the Tripartite Agreement and as reaffirmed at the Tripartite Commission Meetings of August 2017 and March 2018. UNHCR is also urging all States to ensure that no refugee is returned to Burundi against their will, and that measures are taken to make conditions in Burundi more conducive for refugee returns including confidence building efforts and reintegration support for those who have chosen to go home.

The first cases of Covid-19 in the EHAGL region were reported on 13 March and the situation continues to evolve. All 11 countries of the region have reported cases and local transmission. While there has been no large-scale outbreak amongst UNHCR’s populations of concern, the need for preparedness is urgent. UNHCR is working closely with governments, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Country Teams to promote the inclusion of refugees, IDPs, stateless people and others of concern in national preparedness and response measures – in particular in health, hygiene and sanitation programmes, as well as distance learning and emergency social safety nets.