Tanzania : hard blow for Burundian refugees, schools and churches closed in Nyarugusu and Nduta

SOS Médias Burundi

Kigoma, October 1, 2025 – The 2025-2026 school year begins in uncertainty for thousands of Burundian refugee children in Tanzania. Since Monday, more than ten schools, including four secondary schools, have been closed in the Nyarugusu and Nduta camps in the Kigoma region. This measure also affects churches and local NGOs, exacerbating the tense climate in these camps.

Outrage is widespread among pupils who had only just returned to class.

Mass school closures

In Nyarugusu, three primary schools and two kindergartens have been closed. In addition, there are two secondary schools : Hope High School in Zone 8 and Power High School in Zone 9.

In the Nduta camp, two primary schools, two kindergartens, and two secondary schools are affected.

All these schools are managed by the NGO Save the Children. According to reports, no official explanation was provided by the camp administration, which made the decision to close the schools themselves.

The presidents of both camps, officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of the Interior, reportedly “locked the schools and kept the keys.” When questioned, they simply warned the principals :

“Don’t try to interfere with public order; we are implementing measures taken by our superiors at the Ministry in charge of refugees,” declared the president of the Nduta camp.

Families are encouraged to keep their children at home or register for voluntary return to Burundi :

“The school year has just begun in Burundi; you will not be delayed,” stated the president of the Nyarugusu camp.
In Burundi, the school year began on September 15.

Churches and NGOs also targeted

The decision does not only affect schools. In Nyarugusu, two Protestant churches have been closed.

“Churches have become numerous; Christians will be able to choose another church, for example, a Catholic one,” stated the administration.

A week ago, pastors, leaders of Catholic action movements, and mosque leaders were invited to step up awareness-raising about the mass return of Burundian refugees.

In Nduta, a local NGO managed by the Danish Refugee Council, active in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV program), has been suspended.

The UNHCR is powerless

According to a source, a UNHCR protection officer tried unsuccessfully to negotiate the reopening of schools.

“The measure is beyond their authority and aims to boost the mass repatriation of Burundian refugees,” the Nduta camp administration reportedly responded.

For several refugees, the UNHCR is overwhelmed :

“The UNHCR has no place here. It is powerless. It surrenders, and if it is not careful, it too risks closing its offices, seeing the anger of the Tanzanian authorities. The UNHCR officers are pitiful; they watch like spectators,” quipped a refugee official.

Appeal to the United Nations

The refugees are now appealing to the United Nations to note “these violations of their basic rights.”

“We no longer have anything to ask to the Tanzanian government. Let them do what they want; many of us will choose to die here,” said some resigned refugees.

According to the UNHCR, more than 110,000 Burundian refugees still live in camps in Tanzania. Most of the camp residents fled the 2015 crisis, which followed another controversial term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza.