Burundi: WFP Warns 125,000 Refugees Could Lose Food Aid
By News

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on 3 November that nearly 125,000 refugees in Burundi could lose food assistance from January 2027 unless new funding arrives. The agency says it needs USD 40 million to avoid an interruption and to raise rations from 45 per cent to 100 per cent of minimum food needs through to September 2027. The warning matters beyond Burundi: it shows how a short-term funding rescue can buy a response only a few more months of certainty, leaving refugees and the organisations serving them planning from one deadline to the next.

A deadline moved, not removed

This is the second such alert in just over three months. On 24 July, WFP said distributions would end entirely from October 2026 without new resources, and put its requirement at USD 35 million through to August 2027. According to the agency’s latest statement, contributions from the United States and Belgium prevented that October interruption and will sustain assistance until the end of the year.

The figures have shifted between the two statements. In July, WFP referred to more than 130,000 refugees; it now refers to nearly 125,000. Part of the context is return movement to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported in October that more than 20,000 refugees had gone back since April under a UN-run voluntary return programme, while Africanews, citing UNHCR, gave a figure of 22,463 returns.

WFP said in July that more than 100,000 people had fled into Burundi after renewed violence in eastern DRC in late 2025, more than doubling the number of refugees it supports. In its November statement, the agency said continued insecurity stops many from going home safely, while limited livelihood opportunities make it hard for them to earn an income.

Arduino Mangoni, WFP’s acting Country Director in Burundi, said most refugees in the country rely on the agency’s assistance as their main source of food. WFP is also seeking a further USD 1 million to provide school meals for 16,000 children from refugee and host communities through to September 2027.

What it means for communities and responders

Food is only one pressure point. MSF, reporting on 21 October from Busuma camp in eastern Burundi, said around 35,000 people still live there and that food and cash distributions have been repeatedly scaled back because of insufficient funding. The organisation recorded one latrine for every 119 people and one shower for every 242 people in September, and said shelters built at the start of the crisis had a lifespan of only six months. MSF teams carried out more than 12,000 outpatient consultations between July and September.

MSF also reported that several humanitarian organisations working in Busuma are funded only until the end of 2026. Africanews reported earlier in October that WFP’s cash support amounted to about 38,000 Burundian francs, or USD 12, per person each month.

WFP says it is working with the Government of Burundi, UNHCR and partners on livelihoods, social protection and local economic participation. These efforts point to a question that many protracted responses now face: how to reduce dependence on food assistance where refugees have limited means of earning an income and return is not yet safe for many.

What this means for NGO job seekers

For people working in or looking towards the Great Lakes response, this situation calls for realistic planning as well as relevant skills. None of the sources cited here reports specific job figures, but the funding picture suggests some practical points:

  • Expect short contracts. Where partners are funded only to the end of the year, ask about grant end dates, renewal prospects and notice terms before accepting a post.
  • Build food security and cash skills. Experience in targeting, ration prioritisation, cash and voucher assistance, post-distribution monitoring and accountability to affected people is directly relevant when support falls short of minimum needs.
  • Consider livelihoods and social protection. WFP’s emphasis on these areas makes market analysis, income generation programming and work alongside government systems useful experience.
  • Do not overlook WASH, shelter and health. The conditions MSF describes in Busuma underline the value of practical technical skills in sanitation, site planning and primary health care.
  • Strengthen languages and proposal writing. French and Kirundi are useful assets in Burundi, and staff who can write sound donor reports and funding proposals are valuable to any organisation managing tight budgets.

You can check NGO jobs in Burundi, compare neighbouring markets through our NGO jobs by country page, or browse all current vacancies. Our career resources offer guidance on tailoring CVs and applications for humanitarian roles.

Sources