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Burundi

Burundi refugees go home after years in exile

Over 200 Burundian refugees living in the Democratic Republic Congo were repatriated on Tuesday. This first group of refugees are returning to Burundi following a tripartite agreement between Burundi, the DRC and the UN refugee agency in December 2009.

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On board lorries belonging to the UN refugee agency, the returnees crossed the border at Gatumba border post singing, holding the national flag. Stephanie Tabu a 50-year-old woman who had fled Burundi in 1972 and had never come back, was one of these. Others had fled in 1990s but had been afraid of coming back because of the political climate.

The high spirits were only dampened by concerns over how returnees were going to make a living after so many years in exile. The head of the group Déo Butoyi urged Burundi government to assist them build houses and find a land. the returnees will be escorted to their respective homes from the transit site in Bujumbura capital.

DRC hosts more than 15,000 Burundi refugees, mainly living in Eastern Congo. In December 2009, Burundi, the DRC and UNHCR reached an agreement to repatriate 5,000 refugees to Burundi. Under the terms of an accord, The UN refugee agency will also facilitate the repatriation of Congolese refugees living in Burundi. More than 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in Burundi

On October 28, The UN refugee agency will also start repatriating Congolese refugees living in Burundi. 2,000 would be repatriated by the end of the year.

However some Congolese refugees are reluctant to go home saying their region of origin is not yet secure.
 

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