Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Burundi

Refugees returning to Burundi increase significantly

[Tanzania - Radio] Burundian refugee children in Tanzania. IRIN Radio
Burundian refugees in Tanzania, like these, going home in increasing numbers.
    DAR ES SALAAM

    The number of Burundi refugees returning home from camps in western Tanzania has almost tripled since July, an official of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Tanzania said on Monday.

    The official, who asked not to be named, said 13,746 returned to Burundi in August, up from 5,399 in July.

    "We are seeing a dramatic increase," the official said.

    The official said that 185,333 refugees had so far expressed their willingness to return home under a voluntary UNHCR supported-scheme started in March 2002.

    The agency has increased its convoys bound for Burundi from camps in western Tanzania, the official said. Each week three convoys leave from Ngara, another two leave from Kasulu Camp and two more leave from Kibondo Camp.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join