Tanzania : dozens of young refugees missing in the Nduta and Nyarugusu camps

SOS Médias Burundi

Kigoma, December 5, 2025 – Concern is growing in the Nduta and Nyarugusu refugee camps in the Kigoma region of northwestern Tanzania, where dozens of young people have been missing for weeks, sometimes months. They reportedly left the camps to work in Tanzanian fields or on farms – a work said to be well-paid, according to testimonies – but have not been heard from since.

In the Nduta camp, more than 30 young people are still missing. In Nyarugusu, there are about twenty missing children. Some had informed their parents of their departure, while others left secretly without specifying their destination.

Families are alarmed : in Zone 8, Village 21, Number 26 in Nduta, and also in Zones 7 and 3, five young people aged 15 to 17 left the camp three months ago. Since then, there has been no news.

In Nyarugusu, the families who contacted the police are of Burundian and Congolese origin.

“No news. They left school. We don’t know if they are dead or alive,” several relatives lamented. They reported the disappearances to the police and the UNHCR so that a thorough investigation can be conducted.

Last week, three young people were found in a province other than Kigoma. They had left their camp under similar circumstances, but their families quickly alerted the authorities, which led to their being located.

The police say that when they are informed in time, they can act quickly and conduct successful investigations.

However, in most cases, families have little or no information about their children’s whereabouts, which complicates the search and fuels fears of tragedy.

Tanzanian officials and community leaders in the camps fear that these repeated disappearances are linked to a human trafficking network.

They are calling on refugees to be vigilant and report any unusual behavior concerning young people.

The Nduta and Nyarugusu camps are home to more than 110,000 Burundian refugees, many of whom are young people vulnerable to exploitation.