Planned repatriation of refugees from Tanzania

A tripartite meeting between the UN and the governments of Burundi and Tanzania was held on 3 December to elaborate a plan for the return of refugees from Tanzania to Burundi. The parties discussed the repatriation of refugees in the event of the security situation improving in the future, UNHCR told IRIN. In present circumstances, “conditions are nowhere near adequate for return”, Paul Stromberg of the UNHCR told IRIN. The plan for organised repatriation to Burundi allows for three years the exercise should the Burundi peace process prove successful, a report by the Jesuit refugee service (JRS) stated. One thousand refugees were repatriated to Burundi every month from camps in Tanzania at their bequest during the course of 1999, but this stopped entirely following the killings of humanitarian personnel in the northeastern region in October 1999 Paul Stromberg told IRIN. Meanwhile the influx of refugees from Burundi into Tanzania continues.