{MORE than 1,852 Burundi nationals had arrived in Kigoma by last Sunday in search of refuge, following political turbulence in their country due to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s move to seek a third term, the Ministry of Home Affairs has revealed.}
A statement issued in Dar es Salaam by Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson Issac Nantanga, said the Burundian refugees entered the country through Kigaye, Sekeoya, Kakonko, Kosovo, Kagunga and Kibuye villages.
He said through special interrogations and verification with immigration officers in the region, 1,252 among them have been moved to Nyarugusu Camp in Kasulu District as interrogation continues for the rest of the refugees before they are allocated to refugee camps.
Mr Nantanga said the verification exercise is being conducted jointly by the ministry, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other stakeholders.
Moreover, he said, village authorities have been mandated to receive the refugees pending investigation and interrogation by relevant authorities to verify their identities and determine the strength of their cases before being transported to Kigoma Municipality.
He said despite the refugee flow, there have not been incidents of crime reported as the ministry officials are making all alternative measures possible to ensure that all is well in the areas as they try to accommodate the refugees.
However, Tanzanians living around the borders with Burundi have been advised to report to the village councils about any refugee arrivals in their areas instead of accommodating them in their homes as it was against the law.
Burundi has been plunged into chaos and demonstrations against President Nkurunziza’s move to seek a third term, which they say violates the constitution and endangers the peace deal that ended the civil war in that country in 2005.
The country was experiencing six straight days of protests in the capital Bujumbura, which President Pierre Nkurunziza’s office termed as ‘insurrection’.
The rallies have lost some momentum, with fewer people taking to the streets and clashes with police easing. The United Nations has voiced concern that live rounds were fired against protesters.
Civil rights groups say at least six people have been killed and dozens have been injured. In an apparent bid to calm tensions, Burundi’s defence minister said on Saturday that no one could force the army to violate the constitution or the Arusha peace deal that ended the 12-year civil war and called on politicians to respect both documents. In carefully-worded comments at a news conference, Defence Minister Major General Pontien Gaciyubwenge said:
“There is no individual who will direct the army to go against the Arusha deal and the country’s constitution.”
In recent weeks, more than 26,000 Burundians have fled to neighbouring Congo and Rwanda, Tanzania officials say, amid fears of ethnic violence in a region scarred by the 1994 genocide that killed more than 1 million people in Rwanda which, like Burundi, is divided between ethnic Tutsis and Hutus.
President Nkurunziza’s supporters say the former Hutu rebel commander can run again in the June 26 election because his first term, when he was picked by lawmakers and not elected, does not count.
{{Source: Tanzania Daily News}}
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