Camps “strained beyond capacity”

In another report, RI said the refugee camps in Tanzania were strained beyond capacity and had stretched the Tanzanian government’s resources, as well as burdening host communities. “The total number of refugees - 500,000 in Kigoma and Kagera provinces - threatens to eclipse the local population,” it said. The large refugee population had heightened insecurity, with incidents of robberies, rapes and crop theft. “The imbalance in resources available for refugees and Tanzanians is seriously straining relations between the two communities, and eroding support within Tanzania for hosting refugees,” the report noted. It urged the donor community to make more funds available to UNHCR in order to tackle the issue.