In January, Burundi imposed a special tax of 8 percent on the salary of ministers and lawmakers and a 2 percent tax on lower-level civil servants in an effort to raise money to forestall famine in northeastern Burundi.

More than 650,000 people faced severe food shortages in the Burundi provinces of Muyinga and Kirundo due to drought. At least 100 people were reported to have died since November 2004 due to the food shortages.

In some parts of those two provinces, there have been effectively no crops due to the drought since April 2004. Additionally, disease apparently wiped out the normally drought-resistant cassava crop. According to the BBC, many people in the region are crossing into neighboring Rwanda for work and then bringing back food to feed their families.

Providing enough food to forestall more deaths could cost upward of $50 million.

Sources:

Burundi approves new famine tax. The BBC, January 13, 2005.

Burundi battles with food shortages. The BBC, January 19, 2005.