{"id":7095,"date":"2026-04-24T07:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T07:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/?p=7095"},"modified":"2026-04-24T07:11:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T07:11:59","slug":"alarming-situation-of-burundian-refugees-in-tanzania-humanitarian-organizations-warn-of-imminent-forced-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/alarming-situation-of-burundian-refugees-in-tanzania-humanitarian-organizations-warn-of-imminent-forced-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarming Situation of Burundian Refugees in Tanzania: Humanitarian Organizations Warn of Imminent Forced Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A coalition of 26 national and international human rights organizations, in a statement dated 23 April 2026, has raised serious concerns over the alarming consequences of the imminent closure of the Nduta refugee camp in Tanzania, which exposes thousands of Burundian refugees to forced returns in violation of the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Opaque Transfers and Coercive Practices<\/strong><\/h5>

In recent days, nearly 198 families have been transferred from Nduta camp to Nyarugusu camp following an opaque process conducted jointly by Tanzanian authorities and UNHCR.<\/p>

While presented as a protection measure for refugees, these transfers raise serious concerns, particularly due to allegations of corruption, manipulation of lists, and infiltration by individuals linked to the Burundian government.<\/p>

At the same time, credible testimonies report pressure and coercion exerted on refugees to force them to accept return. Some were allegedly compelled to provide their fingerprints under threat before being registered as \u201cvoluntary returnees.\u201d<\/p>

Escalation of Violence and Violations<\/strong><\/h5>

On 19 April 2026, armed militiamen attacked refugees in Nduta camp, leaving several injured. These incidents are part of a broader pattern of serious violations, including kidnappings, enforced disappearances, torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.<\/p>

Since the announcement of the camp\u2019s closure in December 2025, coercive measures have intensified: restrictions on food assistance, withdrawal of refugee documents, limitations on freedom of movement, and criminalization of certain movements.<\/p>

Serious Risks Upon Return to Burundi<\/strong><\/h5>

The signatory organizations recall that many Burundian refugees face a high risk of persecution, arbitrary arrest, and violence upon return, particularly from groups affiliated with the authorities.<\/p>

In the current pre-electoral context, these forced returns risk turning internationally protected persons into political targets, further worsening an already fragile situation.<\/p>

Concerning Role of UNHCR and International Silence<\/strong><\/h5>

Despite warnings and recognition of certain abuses, concrete measures remain insufficient to ensure effective protection of refugees.<\/p>

The continued silence of the international community in the face of these violations sets a dangerous precedent for the respect of international refugee law.<\/p>

Urgent Appeal<\/strong><\/h5>

The signatory organizations call on:<\/p>

The Tanzanian authorities to immediately halt all forced returns and ensure the protection of refugees on their territory;<\/p>

UNHCR to strengthen its protection mechanisms and strictly uphold the principle of non-refoulement;<\/p>

The international community to urgently mobilize to prevent a major humanitarian crisis and condemn these practices.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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SHARE THIS TO RAISE AWARENESS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A coalition of 26 national and international human rights organizations, in a statement dated 23 April 2026, has raised serious concerns over the alarming consequences of the imminent closure of the Nduta refugee camp in Tanzania, which exposes thousands of Burundian refugees to forced returns in violation of the fundamental principle of non-refoulement. Opaque Transfers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[76,268,193],"class_list":["post-7095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alerts","tag-king-umurundi-freedom","tag-nduta-refugee-camp","tag-unhcr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7095"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7102,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095\/revisions\/7102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingumurundifreedom.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}