Nyarugusu (Tanzania) : a hospital overwhelmed by the influx of Burundian and Congolese refugees

SOS Médias Burundi

Nyarugusu, February 8, 2026 – The only hospital still operational in the Nyarugusu refugee camp, in the Kigoma region of northwestern Tanzania, is overwhelmed. Located in the section of the camp hosting Congolese refugees, it is now also receiving thousands of Burundian refugees whose health posts have all been destroyed.

Destroyed health facilities

The demolition of the Burundian refugees’ homes has also affected health infrastructure. At least three health facilities, including a hospital, have been destroyed, depriving thousands of refugees of access to basic care. The only remaining functioning facility in Zone 5 is overwhelmed by a growing number of patients.

“We receive more than five thousand people every day. This is extremely unacceptable, as we cannot provide regular follow-up care to even half of these vulnerable individuals,” explains a medical volunteer, who also denounces the lack of staff and medication supplies.

The majority of patients are children and pregnant women, largely Burundian refugees, suffering from cold-related illnesses and malaria.

A situation conducive to corruption

The lack of staff and resources leads to corrupt practices :

“For us Burundians, we can pay between 50,000 and 100,000 Tanzania shillings to ensure a woman gives birth in decent conditions. The money is slipped into the registration form, and whoever receives you then decides your fate,” recounts a source at the hospital.

“The medical staff do show some sympathy for us, who have almost no shelter left, but they demand a small sum for what they call refreshments,” adds our source.

For Congolese refugees, the amounts can reach 200,000 to 250,000 shillings. According to another volunteer :

“The few available staff are not paid. They are volunteers who are simply trying to survive.”

A humanitarian catastrophe denounced

At the end of January, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF), active in providing healthcare in the Nyarugusu and Nduta camps, raised the alarm about the demolition of homes and health posts, as well as the resurgence of violence against minors :

“This is regrettable and reprehensible. A health post must always be protected, even in times of war. We need it more to deal with the diseases linked to this situation,” the MSF report stated.

According to several activists, the situation could lead to legal action before international courts.

Currently, several thousand refugees in the Nyarugusu and Nduta camps are being registered against their will for forced return. Tanzania is still hosting more than 110,000 Burundian refugees, most of whom fled the 2015 political crisis triggered by the controversial third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza.