"Unfair confinement" of refugees

The New York-based Human Rights Watch group on Wednesday accused the Tanzanian government of "rounding up" and "confining" thousands of mostly Burundian refugees to camps. In a new report, it accused the Tanzanian army of "an indiscriminate response to security risks from outside the country". "Tanzania has a long and generous tradition of hospitality to refugees but unfortunately, it hasn't been on display in this crisis," the report said. "To date, refugees in Tanzania continue to live with uncertainty and fear that they could be subjected again to similar arbitrary mistreatment." The report called on the government to restore "long-standing refugees" to their old settlements and to seek alternate means of addressing "valid security concerns" without violating national and international laws. Noting reports that Burundian rebels have been operating from Tanzanian bases, it suggested that the government increase police patrols at the border, relocate refugee camps and settlements further away from the border and investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for criminal activity. The report also called on the international community to provide greater financial and logistical support to the Tanzanian government to enable it to adopt alternative security measures that comply with human rights and refugee law.