Casualties Overview

In 2011, the Monitor identified no new casualties from mines or explosive remnants of war (ERW) in Burundi. While this is in line with annual casualty figures that have been declining since a peak in 2005, it is likely that casualties may have occurred but were not recorded, since the Humanitarian Department for Mine/Unexploded Ordnance Action (Direction de l’Action Humanitaire contre les Mines et Engins non explosés, DAHMI) had not collected any casualty data since it began reorganizing casualty data in 2009.[1] The last confirmed mine and ERW casualties occurred in 2009.

In June 2010, Burundi estimated that the total number of casualties was 6,000.[2] However, no further details were available and DAHMI recognized that there was a need to conduct a survey to evaluate the exact number of mine/ERW victims in Burundi.[3] By 2011, there were only 1,561 casualties officially identified in DAHMI’s database.[4]

Victim Assistance

Burundi is known to have survivors of landmines and ERW. It has made a commitment to provide victim assistance as a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. There were estimated to be 5,000 survivors in Burundi.[5]

Victim assistance in 2011

In 2011, Burundi adopted the National Victim Assistance Action Plan 2011–2014 and formed a new victim assistance coordinating mechanism to oversee the implementation of the plan. There was an increase in the number of services open to survivors in Burundi during the year, particularly in the area of physical rehabilitation, despite continued concerns among some service providers that donor funding available for victim assistance was decreasing.[6] Overall, however, victim assistance stakeholders did not note any major changes in the availability or accessibility of services for survivors as a result of these changes.[7]

Assessing victim assistance needs

No efforts were made to assess the needs of survivors in 2011, despite the National Victim Assistance Action Plan aiming to conduct a qualitative survey on persons with disabilities and their needs by the end of the first half of 2012.[8] DAHMI continued to recognize the need for assessing the needs of survivors; inaction was attributed to a lack of funding.[9]

Victim assistance coordination[10]

Burundi developed and adopted the National Victim Assistance Action Plan 2011–2014 in 2011. The Action Plan aims to improve victim assistance across seven thematic areas: immediate and continued health care; physical rehabilitation; psychosocial and peer support; incusive education; social and econimic inclusion, including community-based rehabilitation; inclusive development; and data collection, legislation and policies, and coordination.[11]

The Interministerial and Inter-sectoral Coordinating Committee for Victim Assistance was founded on 10 October 2011 and held its first meeting on 23 November 2011.[12] The Coordinating Committee was facilitated by DAHMI and included representatives of the ministries of National Solidarity, Education, Defense, Public Health and Culture as well as representatives of NGOs and disabled persons’ organizations.[13] In addition to monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Action Plan, the Coordinating Committee was to define public policies to improve the delivery of services, to link relevant ministries, agencies, service providers and donors, as well as to support the government in responding to its commitments under national law for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.[14]

Burundi provided information on victim assistance activities in Form J of its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report submitted for the period from April 2006 to April 2012.[15] Burundi gave updates on victim assistance at the Intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2012 and at the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in December 2011.[16]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

Representatives of the Union of Persons with Disabilities of Burundi (Union des Personnes Handicapées du Burundi, UPHB) and of the Center for Training and Development of Ex-Combatants (CEDAC), an organization with survivors included within its membership, were invited to participate in the development of the National Victim Assistance Action Plan.[17] Some survivors were involved in the implementation of economic inclusion and peer support projects through NGO service providers.[18]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities in 2011[19]

Although the number of service providers for physical rehabilitation increased in 2011 from six to seven, including private service providers, access to appropriate rehabilitation services remained difficult for most of those in need. The greatest obstacles for accessing services remained the lack of facilities and professionals and the cost of treatment, since users had to pay for the services.[20]

The ICRC continued its collaboration with the Saint Kizito institute in Bujumbura which targeted services for people in the areas in Burundi that were the most severely contaminated by weapons.[21] In 2011, to improve the accessibility of services, the ICRC renovated the prosthetics and orthotics department, refurbished the physiotherapy areas and constructed dormitories for external patients.[22]

In 2011, a new economic inclusion initiative was launched by Handicap International (HI) to provide personalized social support services and assistance for professional insertion.[23] These services were only designed for former combatants with disabilities, including disabilities from mines/ERW.[24]

The constitution prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. However, the government lacked the capacity and funding to promote or protect the rights of persons with disabilities. The government did not enact legislation or otherwise mandate access to buildings, information, or government services for persons with disabilities.[25]

Burundi signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 26 April 2007.