Returned but threatened : refugees accuse political and security networks of blocking land restitution

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, May 31, 2026 – Behind the mass return of Burundian refugees from Tanzania lies a reality far more complex than the official rhetoric of “voluntary return” and reintegration. Many returnees now say they live in fear of finding their land occupied, of facing intimidation, or of encountering political accusations when they try to reclaim their property.

Through testimonies gathered from returnees, community members, and those involved in their reception, a phenomenon emerges repeatedly : the fear of local political and security networks accused of obstructing the restitution of land abandoned during their years in exile.

Returnees avoiding their home villages

According to several sources, a significant portion of refugees returning from Tanzania are not going back to their original districts or provinces.

Many are instead choosing to settle in the border districts of Nyanza, Makamba, Giharo, or in certain localities of Musongati in Burunga province, in the south of the country, bordering Tanzania.

Officially, some explain this choice by the proximity to Tanzania or the search for better economic opportunities. But according to several witnesses, the real reasons are often much deeper.

“Many prefer to live in places where no one knows them. They are afraid of encountering those who are currently occupying their land or those who accused them in the past,” explains someone involved in welcoming returnees.

Accusations targeting political and security networks

Testimonies gathered by SOS Médias Burundi regularly mention land occupied, resold, or disputed during the refugees’ absence.

Several returnees accuse certain local administrative officials, influential members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, and agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) of having taken advantage of their exile to seize land or prevent its return.

According to these accounts, some returnees claiming their properties are facing threats, repeated summonses, or accusations related to the 2015 political crisis, triggered by the controversial third term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza, a crisis that drove nearly half a million Burundians into exile.

A resident claims to have welcomed a returnee back to his home district :

“Upon his arrival, he found the man who had been occupying his land still working in the local administration. This man threatened to kill him. He was repeatedly told that he was wanted for having participated in the 2015 protests. However, this was false.” I finally had to help him leave the province discreetly.”

According to this source, the returnee in question came from the district of Mutaho, in the province of Gitega, in central Burundi.

Other accounts report political accusations being used to discourage land claims and push some returnees to abandon their efforts.

A fear that is reshaping the geography of returns

This situation is profoundly altering refugee resettlement patterns.

Instead of returning to their native villages, many returnees now prefer to live in urban centers or border towns where they can rebuild their lives far from the conflict.

For them, returning to the village often means :

facing complex land disputes

dealing with local authorities perceived as hostile

being intimidated

losing their land permanently

or being exposed to political accusations

“Some had been living peacefully in Tanzania for years. “Here, they sometimes find networks that control the land, the administration, intelligence, and sometimes even security,” explains a community activist.

According to several observers, this reality fuels growing distrust of local institutions responsible for resolving land disputes.

The most vulnerable are particularly exposed.

The situation is even more worrying for returnees considered vulnerable.

These include the elderly, people living with disabilities, people with chronic illnesses, people without land or family ties, and unaccompanied children.

According to several administrative officials, discussions are underway between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to establish “peace villages” in the Burunga region to accommodate these groups.

However, on the ground, many humanitarian actors believe that the needs far exceed current assistance and reception capacities.

Scams denounced in Tanzanian camps

The difficulties don’t always begin with the return.

Several testimonies gathered in Tanzanian refugee camps also denounce the existence of scam networks that allegedly promised resettlement in Europe in exchange for large sums of money.

Intermediaries reportedly claimed to have privileged contacts within the UNHCR or other international organizations to secure departures for Europe.

“Some sold their land or all their possessions to pay for these procedures. Today they have neither a departure, nor a house, nor land,” recounts a witness.

However, no official involvement of humanitarian agencies has been established in these practices.

Growing pressure iny host communities

The arrival of thousands of returnees is also placing significant economic pressure on certain communities in the south and east of the country.

In Nyanza, Makamba, and Musongati, in particular, residents report rising rents, increased food prices, and worsening poverty.

Community leaders also report an increase in certain social problems linked to poverty and a lack of economic opportunities.

A human crisis still largely ignored

While the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Food Program (WFP) continue their assistance and reintegration operations, many observers believe that the root causes of returnees’ vulnerability remain insufficiently addressed.

Land disputes, political accusations, local abuses of power, the lack of effective protection mechanisms, and a sense of insecurity continue to fuel concerns.

“Peace village” projects could offer a solution to some people without land or family support. But for many returnees, a question remains :

How can someone rebuild a life when they are afraid to return home?

For many Burundians who have returned from Tanzania, exile has not truly ended. It has simply changed.

A cycle of exile continues

In recent weeks, SOS Médias Burundi has confirmed that several thousand Burundian returnees have once again fled into exile, this time to camps in Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya, after being expelled from Tanzania. Some had already arrived in their regions of origin, while others were still in reception centers when they left. The Nduta camp, which hosted more than 76,000 refugees a few years ago, was definitively closed on April 30, following an agreement between the Burundian and Tanzanian governments and the UNHCR. Meanwhile, the Nyarugusu camp, which still shelters approximately 22,000 Burundian refugees and more than 88,000 Congolese refugees, is expected to close by the end of July, at least for the Burundian population. Several human rights and refugee organizations continue to denounce a repatriation process they describe as forced, arguing that it violates the provisions of the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.