Tanzania : more than 30 refugees pushed back and 2 women arrested

Burundian refugees, most of whom lived in Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania, were returned to Burundi. They were turned away because they did not have identification documents. In the Nduta camp, two women were arrested for alleged crimes committed by their husbands. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Since the beginning of this week, the police and the administration of the Nyarugusu camp have been carrying out raids to arrest illegal immigrants. Zones 9 and 13 were particularly targeted.

“They surprised more than thirty Burundian asylum seekers here. They had not yet had refugee documents but the fault is Tanzania which dragged on for more than a year,” explained other refugees.

Many who remained in the camp are living in hiding for the moment.

“There are a lot of them here. They are hosted by some of their compatriots, some have been able to build houses here. They go out in the morning to look for work outside the camp because they have no assistance here,” indicate refugees who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi.

According to these Burundians, after their arrest, these refugees were transported to the Burundian border aboard UNHCR trucks.

“They took nothing with them, some even left their children or family members here. It’s a shame their families were broken up. It is also against their rights because if they have to be pushed back, their dignity must be respected. Some have called their families to inform them that they are being pushed back to Burundi via the Ruyigi border post (eastern Burundi),” they specify.

Arrests in Nduta

At the Nduta camp, two women were arrested on Tuesday.

“They were transported by a police vehicle, and are accused of hiding their husbands suspected of being in rebel movements. Their arrest resembles a kidnapping,” we learned. They lived in village 8, zone IV.

“We are worried that they could suffer the same fate as our compatriots from Nyarugusu because we searched all the dungeons, they are not there. We are really unhappy here in this country that is supposed to protect us. It is unimaginable that they pay for probable offenses committed by their husbands!”, protest Burundian refugees who regret living conditions that children of these two women, who remained in the Nduta camp, must lead.

In Nduta as in Nyarugusu, two Burundian refugee camps in Tanzania, the slightest fault or suspicion today is worth repatriation to Burundi, which is denounced by more than 110,000 refugees who live there.