Suffering in Silence?

Über die Veranstaltung

This event is the third in a ten-part series, which will shine a light on the "ten most under-reported humanitarian crises in 2020". In cooperation with CARE Germany e.V., the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom invites you to reflect on the current crisis in Burundi, the fifth poorest nation in the world.

Despite the peaceful transfer of power in Burundi, after years of political turmoil, the country is still facing grave challenges, aggravated by the global pandemic. It is struggling with dire poverty, resource-poor settings, agricultural dependency and extreme weather events. The biggest challenge, however, remains the large amount of forcibly displaced people in one of the most densely populated countries on the continent. Due to extreme natural disasters, hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced, thousands more are returnees and further refugees from surrounding countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are fleeing to Burundi. The pandemic has created an additional burden for the small East African country and as a consequence 2.3 million Burundians are in need of humanitarian need as of December 2020.

What happened in Burundi post-independence? What led to the civil war and genocides, and how does this affect the country today? What humanitarian situation is developing on the ground and how is civil society affected? How is the country handeling the influx of displaced people? What role did international organisations play, especially during the 2015 unrest? Why do we not hear about this conflict in our media? Are there solutions how this crisis can be mitigated in the years to come?

We hereby invite you to examine and ask these questions in conversation with international experts.