Photo of the week-Tanzania : Nduta camp permanently closed

As of Thursday, April 30, the Burundian refugee camp in Nduta, Tanzania, is no longer operational. It has been officially closed, and no refugees remain there.

The last convoy of Burundian refugees from the Nduta camp left early Thursday morning, around 6:00 a.m., according to several reliable sources.

“Those who remained were almost entirely elderly or sick people, like a woman who had a cesarean section last Tuesday in Kibondo and couldn’t walk easily,” testified one of the last refugees to arrive in Mishiha, in eastern Burundi, on Thursday afternoon.

Tanzanian Interior Minister Patrobas Katambi officially closed the Nduta camp, located in the Kibondo district of the Kigoma region in northwestern Tanzania. Arriving in the region on Wednesday for a two-day visit, he indicated that this measure entailed handing over the permanent infrastructure and equipment to the Tanzanian government for other uses.

According to Tanzanian authorities, this decision falls within the framework of the tripartite agreement between Tanzania, Burundi, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) aimed at encouraging the voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees to their country of origin.

This initiative follows a request from the Burundian government to extend the implementation of the repatriation plan until the end of April. This agreement also stipulates the return of Burundian refugees living in the Nyarugusu camp by June 30, 2026.

The Tanzanian government described this initiative as a “major success in managing the challenges related to the refugee presence,” while also stating its intention to strengthen security and rehabilitate camp land for the benefit of local communities.

Nearly 15,000 Burundians have reportedly been repatriated in three days since last Monday, in conditions deemed inhumane by several affected refugees.

Controversial relocation

In recent days, approximately 198 families have been transferred from the Nduta camp to the Nyarugusu camp, also in Tanzania, officially to receive “international protection.”

These families were selected following a process denounced as opaque by several refugees and human rights organizations. This operation was conducted jointly by the Tanzanian authorities and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Presented as a protective measure, these transfers are nonetheless raising numerous concerns and are perceived by many refugees as an attempt to mask violations of refugee rights.

“How can it be explained that out of more than 50,000 Burundian refugees, fewer than 500 people are said to be in need of so-called international protection?” asks a Burundian refugee.

According to several accounts, allegations of corruption and manipulation of the lists are also circulating. Individuals close to the Burundian government are said to have been included among the refugees allowed to remain.

“These include members of the Sungusungu militia, civilian guards composed of Burundian refugees close to the Tanzanian and Burundian authorities, operating in the camps to monitor, intimidate, and harass other refugees,” claims a refugee source.

In Nyarugusu, the transferred individuals are currently housed in the transit center, awaiting resettlement in the Congolese section of the camp, as the Burundian section is being demolished.

Escape attempts and security concerns

Over the past two weeks, several refugees have been intercepted while attempting to reach other countries, aincluding Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Rwanda.

“They were sent directly back to Burundi without any further registration procedures. We fear for their safety, as many are former soldiers or young students who participated in the 2015 protests against the government,” explains a Burundian refugee who managed to reach the Mahama camp in Rwanda with his family “after a truly harrowing ordeal.”

The Nyarugusu camp, the last remaining camp in Tanzania still hosting approximately 22,000 Burundian refugees, now fears suffering the same fate as Nduta.

Risks of return

According to several Burundian human rights organizations, numerous reports document cases of persecution, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances targeting refugees after their return to Burundi.

“Upon arrival, returnees are closely monitored and frequently targeted by the Imbonerakure,” they denounced in a recent statement, referring to the youth wing of the ruling party in Burundi.

Some people forced to return have reportedly already fled the country again, while others say they live in constant fear of being arrested or disappearing.

In the current pre-election context, these organizations fear that mass repatriations will turn people in need of international protection into political targets, in a climate marked by a surge in human rights violations as the elections approach.

They also denounce the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), accused of failing in its mission to protect refugees, as well as the inaction of the international community.

The UNHCR itself has acknowledged shortcomings in the implementation of the tripartite agreement and expressed serious concerns about the use of coercive measures, including the demolition of homes in refugee camps.

To date, however, these warnings have not been followed by concrete measures to halt the deteriorating situation on the ground.

According to several Burundian human rights activists, the closure of Burundian refugee camps in Tanzania now poses a serious and immediate risk of further forced repatriations, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

Our photo : a sign indicates the location of the Nduta refugee camp in Tanzania. It was permanently closed after the departure of the last Burundian refugees, ending several years of hosting them at the site