The Government of Tanzania has reiterated that it has no plans to grant citizenship to refugees living in camps within the country, urging those from Burundi to prepare for voluntary repatriation now that peace and stability have reportedly returned to their homeland.
The statement was issued in Dar es Salaam by the Minister for Home Affairs, George Simbachawene, during the 26th Tripartite Meeting between Tanzania, Burundi and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which focused on the repatriation of Burundian refugees.
“The Government of Tanzania recognises that some refugees in the camps believe that staying in Tanzania for a long time will eventually lead to their acquisition of Tanzanian citizenship. I want to state clearly—and this should go on record—that Tanzania has no intention of changing its policies or laws to integrate refugees into national development plans, nor to transform refugee camps into permanent settlements,” Minister Simbachawene emphasized.
Speaking at the same meeting, Burundi’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Richard Ndayisaba, affirmed his country’s readiness to cooperate with all parties involved to ensure the smooth return and reintegration of Burundian nationals currently living in Tanzania.
UNHCR Representative Barbara Dotse reiterated the agency’s commitment to working closely with all stakeholders to facilitate the return process in a manner that upholds the dignity and rights of the refugees.
The meeting was also attended by three Regional Commissioners whose regions host refugee populations—Ambassador Simon Siro (Kigoma), Mwanamvua Mrindoko (Katavi), and Paul Chacha (Tabora).
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