More than two dozen Burundian refugees who fled the prospect of political violence at home have died in a cholera outbreak in neighboring Tanzania, the U.N. Children's Fund says.
UNICEF has rushed aid to Tanzania, where refugees are camped beside Lake Tanganyika, the agency said on its website. More than 64,000 Burundians have fled to Tanzania in recent weeks as tensions rise before elections in which President Pierre Nkurunziza is set to run for a third term in the face of opposition protests.
The World Health Organization last week warned of a developing "severe humanitarian crisis" among those who have fled. About 300 to 400 new cases of cholera are being reported daily, and at least 31 people have died, the U.N. agency said. - Bloomberg, AP