Burundi: climate change, mobility, and conflict dynamics
MECMEA Country Brief
This country brief examines the interconnections of environmental and climate change, conflict, and migration for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burundi. It investigates people’s humanitarian and protection needs, and their coping mechanisms.
The findings are based on the results of more than a thousand interviews with IDPs, who have been exposed to different impacts of climate change, particularly floods, carried out between May and July 2025
Flooding and storms are the primary hazards driving disaster-induced displacement in Burundi. Among the 1,027 surveyed IDPs, flooding affected 63%, followed by landslides (34%), and unpredictable weather patterns (34%).
Flooding and landslides are recurrent hazards and not one-off events, with many IDPs exposed repeatedly for years before displacement. Among respondents impacted by floods (n=835), 21% had endured reoccurring floods for two to four years, and 18% for more than four years before they left their homes.
Losing housing is the dominant trigger of internal displacement. The destruction of housing was reported by 96% of flood-affected respondents, alongside food and water scarcity (22%) and loss of livelihoods (other than loss of crop or livestock) (18%).
Climate change impacts undermine living conditions. 80% of all respondents reported worsened living conditions, while no major connection was found between climate change and economic decline, nor between climate change and conflict.
A few migrants identified dangerous locations along the journey. Of the respondents who perceived a dangerous location during their displacement (n=185), 83% feared injury or ill-health from harsh conditions; and of the respondents who perceived children as being exposed to abuse and harm during their displacement (n=400), 94% saw them being vulnerable to injury or ill-health from harsh conditions.
Humanitarian needs are widespread and unmet. 94% of all respondents needed assistance at the time of the interview. Among those who expressed needs (n=967), the top needs were cash (79%), shelter (77%), and food (59%), with major delivery gaps across all categories.
Early warning systems are almost non-existent. 91% of all respondents had no access to any system prior to their displacement, and just five percent used traditional or community-based mechanisms, mainly relying on meetings or local leaders for alerts.
The use of coping and adaptation strategies is rare and often unsuccessful. Most respondents did not change crops (88%) or livestock (96%) in an attempt to adapt to changing environmental conditions. However, where people tried to introduce new crops or types of livestock, the survival rates were limited, with many reporting total losses.
Future mobility is uncertain. Just over half (57%) of surveyed IDPs reported not yet reaching their final destination. Among those planning further movement (n=715), 91% intend to relocate within Burundi, while one percent plan to leave the country.
The findings from this paper are used to inform high-level policy dialogues on climate mobility organised in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, as well as national and regional trainings and capacity-building sessions with civil society organisations, local authorities, and regional research and academic institutions, all convened under the MECMEA project.
