Refugees repatriated

UNHCR has recently facilitated the voluntary repatriation of some 183 Burundian refugees from western Tanzania, a UNHCR official said on Thursday. The organisation of the repatriation operation followed requests by refugees who said "their communes are safe and they would like to go back," the official told IRIN. "We then counter-check with our offices in the said areas to verify the safety and also whether it will be possible for the officers to monitor the situation," he said. "If all is fine then we transport the refugees from the camps to the border where our staff transport them to their communes," the official added. Two refugees injured in explosion Meanwhile, a man and his wife got hurt after an explosive went off at the Mtabila camp in Kibondo district in Kigoma region, a UNHCR official in Kigoma told IRIN on Friday. The man lost four fingers while his wife received a minor injury on her hand in the explosion, which took place last Saturday, the official said. The two were admitted at Kabanga hospital and police were still investigating the "cause" and "nature of the explosive used." There was "no panic in the camp," he added. Over 265,000 remain in camps A total of 288,036 Burundian refugees remain outside Burundi, including 265,378 residing in Tanzania, the latest OCHA-Burundi humanitarian situation report said. The report, received by IRIN on Thursday, said that in addition to the camp-based refugee population, an estimated 200,000 additional Burundians who left their country in the 1970's remain in Tanzania.