Burundi

Burundi is one of the countries most exposed to the effects of climate change, resulting in an increase in the frequency but also in the scale of natural disasters that occur there. The shocks that arise from these consequences combine with different socio-economic factors and exacerbate vulnerabilities and various structural challenges. This situation impacts the ability of the most vulnerable population groups to recover, cope with new shocks and maintain their resilience.

Starting in October 2023, an episode of the El Niño climate phenomenon combined with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) caused flooding across East Africa, including Burundi. Thus, from October 2023 to March 2024, more than 184,000 people were affected by natural disasters in the country (i.e. more than all of the 106,000 people affected throughout 2022), including more than 30 000 moved. According to estimates from the Food Security and Livelihoods Sector, over the same period, these natural disasters impacted nearly 40,000 hectares of cultivated fields, or 10% of the areas under food crops in the country for the 2024 growing season.