Hundreds of Burundian Refugees Return Home

Hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees fled the country to Tanzania following mass political violence and are now being steadily repatriated. (Flickr)

As part of a United Nations-facilitated joint effort between the governments of Burundi and Tanzania, nearly 600 Burundian refugees located in Tanzania returned home on October 3. 

More than 400,000 refugees initially fled Burundi in 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term, fearing he would potentially ignite a new civil war in the country. The resulting political violence during the election killed many and drove hundreds of thousands into neighbouring countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN estimates that about 182,000 Burundians remain in Tanzania’s three main refugee camps.

The group repatriated on October 3 is part of a larger trend of Burundian refugees returning over the last few years. Since 2017, nearly 175,000 Burundi refugees left Tanzania willingly due to a number of complaints including conditions in the refugee camps. Many of those returning to Burundi expressed fear and concern to Reuters when interviewed about rampant sexual violence and police violence in the Tanzanian refugee camps. Women reported that sexual assault was common when they left camp to look for firewood while men reported being beaten and harassed by Tanzanian police. One anonymous refugee said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that “they destroy our markets, rob us, beat us like animals, and jail us. The prison in Kigoma is full of Burundians. More than half the inmates are from Burundi. They work like dogs, day and night.”

Refugees have also cited repressive treatment by the Tanzanian government, which has on more than one occasion adopted policies pressuring the refugee population. In late September, Tanzanian Home Affairs Minister Alphaxard Kangi Lugola announced that 163,000 Burundian refugees who had been granted citizenship in 2007 would not be able to vote, even though some had resided in Tanzania for decades.

The refugees who returned to Burundi on October 3 did so voluntarily as part of an effort organized by the United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR). While the UNHCR has not officially promoted repatriation efforts, it has offered assistance to any refugees who wish to return.  

“We urge the governments of Tanzania and Burundi to respect their commitments to uphold international obligations and ensure that any refugee returns remain voluntary and that no refugee or asylum seeker is returned to Burundi against their will,” said the UNHCR in an official statement. 

Many refugees have expressed concern about repatriation to a country that is still politically unstable, especially with a fresh round of elections due in 2020. In spite of this, the Tanzanian government has called for the eventual repatriation of all Burundian refugees, citing better political and social conditions in the country. Some worried that they would somehow be forced to return to a country that could potentially erupt into political violence again. The United Nations, however, has adamantly stated that it will not facilitate any forced repatriation, and it seems that both governments will maintain a purely voluntary repatriation program for now. 

"Everyone signed the document, both governments agree that a refugee can only be returned when he or she thinks it is time for them to return," said Babar Baloch, global spokesman for the UNHCR. "For us, one principle is very important: Let the refugees decide for themselves if it is time for them to return to their country of origin."

Repatriated refugees return to an uncertain future in Burundi where there are still concerns of political violence, which may be exacerbated by the influx of returning refugees.