Burundi is a densely populated country with a high population growth rate, factors that combined with land scarcity and poverty place a large share of its population at risk of food insecurity. About 90% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture. May 22, 2024
Subdivision
of land to sons, and redistribution to returning refugees, results in smaller,
overworked, and less-productive plots. Food shortages, poverty, and a lack of
clean water contribute to a 60% chronic malnutrition rate among children. A
lack of reproductive health services has prevented a significant reduction in
Burundi’s maternal mortality and fertility rates, which are both among the
world’s highest. With almost two-thirds of its population under the age of 25
and a birth rate of about 5 children per woman as of 2022, Burundi’s population
will continue to expand rapidly for decades to come, putting additional strain
on a poor country.
Historically, migration flows into and out of Burundi have consisted overwhelmingly of refugees from violent conflicts. In the last decade, more than a half million Burundian refugees returned home from neighboring countries, mainly Tanzania. Reintegrating the returnees has been problematic due to their prolonged time in exile, land scarcity, poor infrastructure, poverty, and unemployment. Repatriates and existing residents (including internally displaced persons) compete for limited land and other resources. To further complicate matters, international aid organizations reduced their assistance because they no longer classified Burundi as a post-conflict country. Conditions deteriorated when renewed violence erupted in April 2015, causing another outpouring of refugees. In addition to refugee out-migration, Burundi has hosted thousands of refugees from neighboring countries, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lesser numbers from Rwanda.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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