Country: Burundi Source: Famine Early Warning System Network Please refer to the attached file. Key Messages The Eastern and Northern Lowlands, Eastern Dry Plateaus, and Imbo Plains are projected to remain in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) through September. While the arrival of Season B harvests in June will temporarily improve access to food and income, improvement will be hindered by expected localized below-average harvests, sustained high food prices, and market pressures from high demand in areas with large populations of refugees and returnees. Household income-earning opportunities continue to be limited by the continued closure of the Rwanda border since January 2024 and restricted access to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the same time, competition for labor for labor opportunities within Burundi is atypically high due to the large recent influxes of refugees and returning Burundians. As a result, household purchasing power is weak, limiting food access, as households remain highly dependent on market purchases. Season B harvests are expected to be near-average in most areas, bolstered by production of tubers and bananas mostly offsetting notable bean crop losses caused by below-average rainfall from late March to mid-April. Beans account for about 25β30 percent of Season B national crop production and nearly 50 percent in the northern regions. The largest losses occurred in the semi-arid Northern Lowlands, where production is now anticipated to be around 40 percent below average. Losses are also estimated at 15β20 percent in the Eastern Lowlands and around 10 percent in the Eastern Dry Plateaus. Fertilizer shortages and high input prices, linked to limited foreign currency availability and the conflict in the Middle East, also weakened agricultural production. There has been a sharp decline in fuel imports to Burundi since March, attributable to the conflict in the Middle East, which is contributing to rising fuel and food prices. Imports of gasoline and diesel are expected to remain atypically low through at least September. The worsening fuel shortage is likely to further increase transportation costs and contribute to additional food price increases. It has also created atypical regional price disparities, with relatively lower prices in surplus-producing areas and significantly higher prices in urban and peri-urban deficit markets. Charcoal prices, in particular, have doubled or even tripled in urban areas. Food prices in April continued their seasonal upward trend and remained considerably higher than the five-year average. Most commodities increased by around 5 percent compared to March, and beans surged by 30 percent nationally and nearly 50 percent in urban areas. This was driven by the depletion of stocks from Season A, which saw below-average production, and price speculation from Season B bean crop losses. Compared to last year, prices for most commodities were 5 to 20 percent higher, except for maize, which was 10 percent lower, supported by average stocks from 2026 Seasons A and C. Compared to the five-year average, staple food prices remained markedly elevated, ranging from 20 to 70 percent above average. The sustained high prices are driven by increasing costs for agricultural inputs and transportation from production areas to markets. Cash assistance to refugees and returnees has also heightened inflation in localities with refugee and returnee populations, notably the Eastern Lowlands and Eastern Dry Plateaus. In April 2026, WFP assisted nearly 975,000 beneficiaries, amid continued funding shortages. Around 151,000 refugees received 75 percent of the minimum daily food requirements through hybrid assistance combining food and cash transfers, while returnees received cash equivalent to 50 percent of minimum food requirements for three months. The pace of repatriation of Burundian refugees from Tanzania slowed in April 2026, with 11,397 returnees assisted by WFP, compared to 26,194 in March and 24,944 in February. Around 40,000 returnees are still expected to exit Tanzania by July 2026. Reports indicate that some refugees expelled from Tanzania are seeking asylum in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, which could reduce the number of expected returnees arriving in Burundi. WFP also provided nutrition assistance to 9,105 beneficiaries in April, including 6,565 children and 2,540 pregnant and breastfeeding women, mainly in Busuma Refugee Camp, along with 914 individuals admitted to malnutrition treatment services.