Nduta (Tanzania) : Burundian refugees protest against arbitrary arrests

SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta, April 16, 2025 – Violent protests erupted in the Nduta refugee camp in the Tanzanian region of Kigoma during the night of April 14-15. Burundian refugees protested against arbitrary arrests and repeated abductions in the camp. Two people were arrested, while tensions remain high.

According to several witnesses, anger erupted after a Burundian refugee, Emile Kwizera, was arrested in Zone 7, his face bandaged, and then bundled into a police pickup truck. Refugees were waiting for him at the entrance to the police station, hoping to block the vehicle and free their compatriot. They threw stones and smashed the vehicle’s windows, forcing the police to fire in the air to disperse the crowd.

In response, the protesters cut down trees to block roads and attacked UNHCR facilities, including hangars used for returning refugees. Tents, beds, chairs, and mattresses were set on fire using fuel from a generator that was also destroyed.

“We wanted to show the UNHCR that we’re fed up with its silence in the face of the arrests,” protesters explained.

The next day, activities in the camp were virtually paralyzed. Humanitarian NGOs did not open their offices. An emergency meeting was convened by high-level Tanzanian authorities. The tone was firm : “You dared to attack the police. These are criminal acts. You’re not even Tanzanian citizens. Prepare for what’s coming next,” security officials declared, without giving the refugees a chance to speak.

They called on refugees to “remain calm” and to respond en masse to the voluntary repatriation program “to avoid further arrests.”

Refugees are now living in widespread fear. Over the past two weeks, some twenty Burundians have been arrested or reported missing. The most targeted are intellectuals, former students, and military personnel. They denounce a suspicious modus operandi, citing pre-established lists, and point to a possible hand of Burundian authorities in these operations.

“They always know where to strike. Some no longer sleep at home,” confided an inside source.

This outcry comes amid an already tense climate, documented in a previous article by SOS Médias Burundi, which reported several disturbing arrests in the same camp :
👉 Nduta (Tanzania) : several arrests that appear to be kidnappings worry refugees

Burundian refugees are calling on Tanzania, the UNHCR, and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to guarantee their safety in exile. The Nduta camp currently hosts more than 58,000 Burundians in already precarious living conditions.

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Part of the Nduta camp in Tanzania (SOS Médias Burundi)