MORE BURUNDIAN REFUGEES TO DEPART THIS WEEK

ABOUT seven hundred refugees from Burundi who have voluntarily registered to return home are expected to depart this week. The first batch left the country on the 7^th September, 2017

Burundian refugees are ready to depart the country back to home.

According to Assistant Director-Department of Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs Deusdedit Masusu, two batches, each with average of 350 refugees out of 13,000 who have registered to return home will depart on Tuesday (12 September) and Thursday (14 September) this week.

“During this month (September), in our plan, we have scheduled seven repatriation trips each with an average of 350 refugees on the 7^th, 12^th, 14^th, 19^th, 21^st, 26^th and 28^th”. Mr. Masusu said and added that they expected more refugees to be involved in the coming trips.

Mr. Masusu told our reporter over the weekend that as of 7^th September, 2017, 13,000 refugees have registered to return home and they were expecting more refugees to volunteer following successful start of repatriation exercise.

“By the end of September, we are certain that those who are now hesitating to register will do so because they will find it necessary to go back home after receiving positive feedback from returnees” He noted.

He explained that what the parties were now doing was to make sure the repatriation exercise was conducted as per procedures set in the tripartite agreement to ensure safety and dignity to the returning refugees.

“What our governments (Tanzania and Burundi) and our partners want, is to do it in proper way to help these refugees go home and settle...that will be incentive to others to come forward and register” Mr. Masusu added.

Repatriation of voluntary registered Burundian refugees is taking place following the recent agreement signed during the 19^th Tripartite Commission Meeting held in Dar Es Salaam on 31^st August, 2017 between Tanzania, Burundi and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Currently there are about 276, 692 Burundian refugees in Tanzania of which 242, 340 entered the country after April 2015 following political unrest in Burundi.

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