Nduta (Tanzania) : an “Imbonerakure” recognized and arrested by refugees

SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta (Tanzania), October 24, 2025 —
Tensions peaked Wednesday evening at the Nduta refugee camp in northwestern Tanzania, when a man identified as a member of the CNDD-FDD youth league, the Imbonerakure, was recognized by former camp residents and arrested by angry refugees before police intervention.

Recognized by several first names —Pierre Ndagijimana, Pierre Nzobonimpa—and nicknamed “Ganja,” the individual is from Ruyigi district, in Burunga province, in the east of the small east African nation. According to witnesses, he had already stayed at the camp before being repatriated in 2020, after reporting several refugees whom he accused of colluding with armed groups. Several of the people he reported have since gone missing.

A survivor, who claims to have been tortured after reporting the incident, recognized the man this week and alerted his compatriots, prompting his arrest by refugees. He was handed over to the camp police and was scheduled for public questioning on Saturday. However, according to several refugee sources, the man has since disappeared from police custody without an official explanation.

“He is no longer in police custody. Two options : either he was killed or he was exfiltrated and sent back to Burundi,” reported a refugee contacted by SOS Médias Burundi.

When contacted, the camp police provided no detailed explanation, only offering evasive answers, according to witnesses. For the refugees, this disappearance fuels suspicions of a concerted operation involving Tanzanian and Burundian authorities; they demand that the man be found and brought to justice to answer for the crimes they accuse him of.

The Nduta camp, which hosts more than 58,000 Burundian refugees, is regularly cited in cases of infiltration and abuses attributed to the Imbonerakure—accusations firmly rejected by CNDD-FDD leaders, who present the youth league as supporting security and development. In August 2024, President Évariste Ndayishimiye publicly praised their role in securing the borders and encouraged the strengthening of night patrols in the villages.