By Nabeela Yusuf
Tanzania has closed the Nduta refugee camp, repatriating nearly all Burundian refugees as pressure mounted over capacity and policy.
The shutdown followed accelerated returns in late April, with final convoys departing early April 30, according to humanitarian sources and refugee testimonies.
Interior Minister Patrobas Katambi announced the closure during a regional visit, describing it as a coordinated policy action.
Authorities said the move aligns with a tripartite agreement involving Tanzania, Burundi and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The agreement promotes voluntary repatriation, but refugees and rights groups report coercion during the final phase of departures.
Accounts describe forced removals, including beatings and intimidation, raising concerns over violations of international refugee protections.
More than 15,000 refugees were returned within three days, according to field reports cited by humanitarian observers monitoring the operation.
Remaining camp residents were primarily elderly or medically vulnerable individuals unable to leave earlier, witnesses told local monitors.
Approximately 198 families were transferred to Nyarugusu refugee camp under a protection screening process.
Refugees questioned the selection process, alleging lack of transparency and possible political bias in determining who could remain. Human rights groups warned the closure risks breaching the non-refoulement principle under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Reports indicate returned refugees face risks including arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance and persecution upon arrival in the camp.
The camp, established in 2015, once hosted over 100,000 Burundians fleeing political violence and instability.
That influx followed unrest linked to Burundi’s disputed 2015 elections, which triggered mass displacement across East Africa.
Tanzania has in the past hosted large Burundian refugee populations, facilitating returns through organized repatriation programs since 2002.
UN data shows more than 390,000 Burundians returned between 2002 and 2009 under earlier voluntary frameworks.
The current operation differs due to the scale and speed of closures, raising operational and legal concerns among humanitarian agencies.
Local authorities say camp land will be repurposed for community development and security management in Kigoma region.
For refugees, the closure ends years of displacement but introduces uncertainty, as return conditions remain contested by independent monitors.
