The Tanzanian government has given the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, seven days to help repatriate those Burundian refugees who want to go home, or the Tanzanian authorities will do the job themselves.
The UNHCR estimates that there are 240,000 Burundians in Tanzania who have fled the political turmoil, and some of them have registered for voluntary repatriation.
Minister for Internal Affairs Mwigulu Nchemba issued the ultimatum on Thursday while on an official visit to Nduta refugee camp in Kigoma, western Tanzania.
Mr Nchemba accused the UNHCR of delaying the return of the refugees.
Over 8,000 refugees from the Nduta camp are reported to have registered themselves as willing to return to Burundi
Mr Nchemba warned that if UNHCR did not immediately start returning the refugees the government would do so.
“If you wont do that, I will ask my colleague, the minister of defence to give us military trucks to send these refugees.”
The Tanzanian government’s ultimatum comes only a month since the Burundian President Pierre Nkurunzinza visited Tanzania and called on Burundian refugees to go home as he assured them that the country was stable and safe.
BBC
