Bujumbura : families of United Nations System staff evacuated

Members of the international staff of United Nations System agencies assigned to Burundi were evacuated following a decision by headquarters due to security instability. The decision comes after the expulsion of two WFP (World Food Program) officials in Burundi, following the dissemination of security instructions, which was considered by Burundian authorities as “an attack on State security”. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The evacuations began last week. Reasons given are linked to the volatile security situation following the war in eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).

“The dependents of international staff from different agencies of the United Nations system assigned to Burundi have been relocated to Uganda”, sources close to the case confirmed to SOS Médias Burundi.

This decision to evacuate these families comes a few days after the expulsion of two WFP officials by Burundian authorities.

The decision of the United Nations to exfiltrate these families is perceived by various observers as an indicator of the unstable security situation in the sub-region following the war in eastern DRC where the armed group M23, suspected of being supported by Rwanda, continues to expand its zone of control in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.