The memorandum, signed by 19 Burundian civil society organizations, aims to raise awareness about the critical situation of Burundian refugees in Tanzania. It denounces the forced repatriation process orchestrated by the Tanzanian government, in collaboration with Burundian authorities and under the seemingly complacent watch of UNHCR-Tanzania.
The document details a series of coercive measures and human rights violations against Burundian refugees. These include hostile declarations from Tanzanian authorities, the systematic destruction of refugees’ means of livelihood, arbitrary arrests, imprisonments, and forced deportations, often carried out through nighttime kidnappings.
In light of these severe human rights violations and breaches of international refugee law, the signatories call for urgent intervention by the international community. They demand the immediate suspension of the forced repatriation process and urge UNHCR to take concrete measures to protect Burundian refugees, including considering their resettlement in a third country if necessary.
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