Nduta (Tanzania) : MSF celebrates 10 years

SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta, December 7, 2025 — Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is celebrating ten years of providing medical services to Burundian refugees in the Nduta camp in northwestern Tanzania. The organization has been present since the mass exodus triggered by the controversial third term of the late Pierre Nkurunziza. During this decade, MSF has assisted in more than 39,000 births.

MSF-Switzerland has been operating in Nduta since October 17, 2015, a period marked by “commendable humanitarian acts, on a daily basis, that have saved many lives,” according to its director. Starting with fewer than 50 employees, the team provided emergency care before establishing five clinics and a modern hospital capable of treating or referring serious cases to other national facilities.

Ten years after its establishment, the figures illustrate the scale of the work accomplished :

more than 1.2 million patients treated,

more than 200,000 vaccines administered,

more than 39,000 births, or about 210 per month, nearly seven per day.

Over the years, other organizations have joined the health effort, including the IRC (International Rescue Committee), MTI (Medical Teams International), and the Red Cross. However, humanitarian funding has been severely impacted, particularly with the return of President Trump to the White House, which reduced donations to NGOs and led to drug shortages and the suspension of some emergency transfers.

MSF-Switzerland is calling today for an urgent mobilization of funds, stating that the needs remain immense. The organization also deplores the fact that Tanzanian authorities are “downplaying the seriousness of the situation,” leading some refugees to consider a premature return to Burundi.

The Nduta camp still hosts more than 58,000 Burundian refugees.