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A Tanzanian court on Wednesday sentenced some 165 Burundian refugees after finding them guilty of illegally leaving their camps in western Tanzania. The refugees, who had come from the camps of Karago, Nduta and Mtendeli, were arrested on 18 May in the Kibondo area. They were arrested as they travelled in two vehicles with the intention of crossing into Burundi to attend “military training which was allegedly being offered by the rebel Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces de defense pour la democratie (CNDD-FDD)”, regional police commander Placid Chaka had told IRIN. Twenty-four of the refugees aged between 13 and 18 were sentenced to three months in prison, while the remaining 141 adults were jailed for six months with two others found not guilty.
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