Nduta (Tanzania) : a Burundian refugee found dead several kilometers from the camp

SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta, January 15, 2026 – The lifeless body of a Burundian refugee was discovered on Thursday several kilometers from the Nduta camp in northwestern Tanzania, sparking concern and outrage among the refugees.

According to concurring sources within the camp, the body was found by passersby near the Ndorobo River, located approximately three to five kilometers from the Nduta refugee camp. The body had several wounds at the abdomen.

The victim, a man in his thirties, had recently settled in Zone 12 of the camp, after leaving Zone 6 where his first wife resided. He had joined a second partner in his new area of ​​residence.

According to his family, the refugee was last seen on Monday of this week. His prolonged absence did not immediately raise concerns, as the victim was accustomed to spending several days outside the camp to engage in income-generating activities to support his two families.

According to information gathered from security sources, Tanzanian police are focusing on the possibility of throat-slitting. This hypothesis, which has not yet been officially confirmed, is fueling the climate of fear within the camp. Refugees interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi are demanding a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators of this crime and establish the exact circumstances.

The victim’s burial is scheduled for this Friday, according to family members.

A climate of tension amid a contested repatriation

The Nduta refugee camp for Burundians currently hosts more than 58,000 refugees, the majority of whom arrived in Tanzania following the 2015 political crisis triggered by the controversial decision of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term.

This death comes amid heightened tensions within the camp, marked by a repatriation program that many refugees describe as “forced.” Tanzanian authorities have set March 31 as the deadline by which the last Burundian refugee must leave the Nduta camp.

Several refugees interviewed expressed growing fears for their safety, both inside and outside the camp, and denounced a heightened sense of insecurity fueled by an increase in violent incidents, the perpetrators of which remain unknown.

At this stage, no official reaction has been recorded from the Tanzanian authorities regarding the exact circumstances of this death or the progress of the investigation.