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UNHCR checking report of refugee arrests

UNHCR in Kigoma said it was looking into reports that 167 Burundian refugees were arrested by Tanzanian authorities who claimed they were “combatants” seeking rebel military training in Burundi. “We have received the list of their names,” a UNHCR official in Kigoma told IRIN on Tuesday. “We can’t confirm that they are refugees. We have to check the list against our camp list,” she added. Kigoma Regional Police Commander Placid Chaka said the 167 suspects were arrested last Thursday at Makere village, Kibondo district. They had come from the refugee camps of Karago, Nduta and Mtendeli, he told IRIN on Tuesday. “They were accused of infringement of refugee regulations by being outside the designated area without a permit,” Chaka added.


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

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