Tanzania: After deadly incidents, Burundian refugees point the finger at authorities

SOS Médias Burundi

Kigoma, May 2, 2025 – The insecurity is increasingly tense in Tanzania’s Burundian refugee camps. Local authorities are raising their voices, threatening expulsions after deadly clashes in Nyarugusu. Human rights defenders describe the action as a way of intimidation and pressure aimed at forcing returns, in violation of international law.

The Nyarugusu and Nduta camps, of more than 100,000 Burundian refugees, are under high tension. On Tuesday, April 29, a refugee was shot dead and several others were injured, including a police officer, during clashes in the Nyarugusu camp. The initial incident was a police operation aimed at dismantling a so-called “illegal” business, which the refugees consider a “planned robbery.”

Two months earlier, similar incidents had occurred in Nduta. In response, the Tanzanian authorities convened a “pacification” meeting in Nyarugusu this Wednesday. But the low turnout of refugees exasperated officials.

“This camp has become a center for troublemakers. This will not be tolerated!” thundered John Walioba Mwita, inspector general for refugees for the Kigoma region. He threatened expulsions: “If you don’t want to respect our laws, just go home!”

This harsh tone was echoed by a UNHCR official in the Kasulu region. “You have crossed the red line. UNHCR will not support you in this behavior,” he declared, adding that the security forces were “doing their job.”

Refugees in a public square in the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania (SOS Médias Burundi)

These remarks outraged human rights defenders. For the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights Living in Refugee Camps (CDH/VICAR), this constitutes “barbarity and a violation of international humanitarian law.” Its president, Léopold Sharangabo, accuses the Tanzanian authorities of increasing provocations with the complicity of the UNHCR.

“The goal is clear: to create a climate of fear to force refugees to return to Burundi, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement,” he believes. He also deplores the UN agency’s silence. “The UNHCR is betraying its protection mandate. It is turning a blind eye to abuses, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation.”

According to him, this passivity encourages impunity. “The UNHCR must not limit itself to distributing humanitarian aid. It must defend refugees, denounce violations, and put pressure on states like Tanzania.” »

Tanzania still hosts more than 104,000 Burundian refugees, including more than 50,000 in Nyarugusu, in an increasingly hostile climate. For many, the future remains uncertain.

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Men carry a Burundian refugee shot by Tanzanian police, April 29, 2025 in Nyarugusu (SOS Médias Burundi)