Repatriation of refugees from Tanzania

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has agreed to help those among the 345,000 Burundi refugees in Tanzania return home, but said it was not calling for an immediate repatriation because of continuing insecurity in Burundi.

This followed a statement issued on Tuesday by the Tripartite Commission on voluntary repatriation of Burundi refugees in Tanzania, saying that the repatriation of Burundi refugees should be done as rapidly as possible, beginning in February. The Commission, which met from 13 to 15 January, was between representatives from UNHCR and the governments of Burundi and Tanzania.

The UNHCR said on Thursday that while it had agreed to help Burundi refugees wishing to return home by registering them and helping them with transport, the agency would not establish repatriation programmes to encourage returns until the security situation improved. UNHCR also said that the agreement with the Burundi and Tanzanian governments would protect refugees returning home.

"Until now, the refugees went back home on their own initiative and faced a lot of problems on the way. Some of their difficulties will be eased by the new approach," he said.

The tripartite commission, established in May 2001 under the Arusha peace accord, would outline a detailed return plan of operation when conditions allowed, UNHCR added. The commission's next meeting will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the second half of February 2002. Meanwhile, a similar meeting was held on Thursday and Friday in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, bringing together representatives from UNHCR and the governments of Rwanda and Tanzania to discuss the repatriation of some 24,400 Rwandan refugees.