Refugees, IDPs facing psychological trauma, agency says

The Burundian Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) has found that the country's internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning refugees frequently experience psychological trauma due to the severe living conditions they endure. Presenting ACORD's findings at a conference in the capital, Bujumbura, researcher Julien Nimubona said the psychological problems the IDPS and refugees experience was compounded by their state of dependence on humanitarian aid and their inability to participate in decision-making. The agency, in collaboration with eight civil society organisations, studied the living conditions of the IDPs and the refugees in eight Burundian provinces and in three refugees camps in Tanzania. Delegates from Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania are attending the conference on IDP and refugee problems. Nimubona said attempts to solve the IDP and refugee problems had failed thus far, not only because the problem had not been considered in a national dimension but also because it had regional implications in its root causes and consequences. He cautioned that if not resolved adequately, problems such as the access to land for returnees would create other conflicts in the near future. Tanzanian researcher Marcel Kichumisa presented the study's findings regarding the condition of Tanazian refugee camps. He said there had been "pushing factors from within and pulling factors from Burundi that prompted the massive repatriation of refugees, last year". Food shortages in Tanzania led to a deterioration in the relationship between the refugees and local communities, he added, the lack of land and the political developments in Burundi has acted as incentives for the refugees to return home. The ACORD research also found that among the returnees' major expectations were equal social services, recovery of property, employment and land, as well as tolerance and acceptance from the community. The research was conducted in 2003 and the first quarter of 2004 in Bujumbura; in the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Gitega, Muyinga, Kayanza, Makamba, Bururi, Cankuzo and Ruyigi; and in Tanzanian refugees camps in the western districts of Ngara, Kasulu and Kibondo. Nimubona said the research was conducted not only to analyse the living conditions of IDPs and refugees but also to launch an appeal for their involvement in the resolution of the problems they face.