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By 27 March 2025, over 70,000 Congolese refugees had fled to Burundi to escape conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The influx is straining Burundi’s already limited resources, adding to the 89,000 Congolese refugees already staying in and placing immense pressure on existing refugee sites and transit centres. Arrivals have slowed to 200–300 people per day, but the refugees urgently require shelter, food, medical care, and protection. A cholera outbreak has also been reported in Cibitoke province, exposing the dire sanitary conditions and poor infrastructure in camps. By 29 March, six among hundreds of suspected cases were confirmed. Severe water shortages leave refugees without access to clean water for days, undermining basic hygiene practices such as handwashing. Overcrowding further worsens the crisis, with vulnerable groups, especially children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, facing the highest risks given the lack of clean water and poor living conditions. (UNICEF 29/03/2025, RPA 17/03/2025, UNICEF 15/03/2025)

In the 2024–2025 academic year, more than 7.2 million students across Ethiopia have been unable to attend school owing to conflict and insecurity. Amhara region is the hardest hit, with over 3,600 schools already closed and 4.5 million students out of school. This is an increase of over 500,000 students since October 2023, when approximately 3.9 million primary and secondary students were out of school in the region. Attacks have targeted educational infrastructure, while teachers and school administrators have faced threats, detention, and even killings, further disrupting education and making it unsafe for learning to continue. Fano militia have also previously ordered schools to close and demanded ransom for kidnapped teachers. (AS 31/03/2025, African Perceptions 25/03/2025, NDTV 24/01/2025)

Given reduced funding, WFP may halt assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in Dzaleka refugee camp, the main refugee camp in Malawi, after May 2025. Since February, the funding decline has already led to WFP previously reducing food rations from 75% to 50%. In the same month, WFP assisted approximately 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the camp, which was designed to accommodate a maximum of 15,000 people. Such overcrowding strains already limited resources and increases the risk of communicable diseases spreading. Access to livelihoods is also highly limited, in large part because of Malawi's encampment policy and restrictions on refugee employment. Only 30% of the camp's population engages in economic activities, leaving many vulnerable. The majority are from the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by individuals from Burundi and Rwanda, who fled to Malawi with already high needs for food, protection, livelihoods, healthcare, and education. (The Times Group 31/03/2025, Radar Africa 28/03/2025, AfricaBrief 29/03/2025)