SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta, May 22, 2025 – In the Burundian refugee camps of Nduta and Nyarugusu, the « pre-selection interviews » conducted by the UNHCR and Tanzanian authorities are causing deep unease. Refugees’ testimonies, the temporary withdrawal of partner NGOs, and accusations of coercion outline a controversial process, seen as a prelude to a forced return to Burundi.

For three weeks in Nduta, and for the past few days in Nyarugusu, Burundian refugees have been called for interviews described as « pre-selection. » Officially, the aim is to identify those who still wish to receive international protection. Unofficially, many refugees see this as a covert maneuver to force their return to their country, in a context of fear and uncertainty.

SOS Médias Burundi accompanied a Burundian refugee to the interview office. We omit his name and call him *Benoit for security reasons.

*Benoît is a refugee from Zone 8, Village I4 of Nyarugusu. Aged around forty, he arrived with his family. At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, he waited his turn. He said :

« I don’t know why, but I don’t feel well. As a Christian, I feel that misfortune awaits me. But I prayed, so I move forward. »

Intrusive questions, an unknown language, and compulsory documents

Led to a UNHCR officer, he did the interview which began in Swahili, at Benoît’s discretion. He was quickly reprimanded when he mentioned his first exile in 1993.

« Focus on your last escape, » he was told. He then recounted his departure from Burundi in May 2015, the persecution, the fear, and the death threats.

Burundian refugees in a meeting with Tanzanian authorities at the Nyarugusu camp (SOS Médias Burundi)

Questions continued : professional activity in Burundi, belongings left behind, relatives back home, diplomas, possible return trips. Finally, one question threw him :
« What’s stopping you from returning home? »
Benoît replied :

« In Tanzania, I found peace and stability. Burundi remains a danger for me, a constant threat. »

He left the interview feeling worried. He wasn’t given a copy of his answers. He was also forced to sign a document in English, a language he didn’t understand.

« What if this document contained commitments, confessions? » he wondered. He called for greater transparency : « This document should be written in a language I understand. »

Visiting other offices, he noticed the presence of agents fluent in Kirundi. He wondered : « Are they working for the UNHCR, for Tanzania… or for Burundi? What if they were infiltrators? »

Uncomfortable NGOs, immediate reprisals

A UNHCR document entitled « Pre-selection Form, » which SOS Médias Burundi was able to consult, reveals the official objective of the interviews :
« Determining whether or not the applicant wishes to be admitted to the asylum procedure. »
But one question on the form fuels mistrust :
« Are you ready to return to your country? If not, why not? »

Several partner NGOs have quietly denounced a biased operation. For example, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) suspended its interpreters in the Nduta camp because it was not involved in organizing these interviews.

Local authorities reacted immediately : the NGO suspended its activities and its vehicles and employees were blocked for three days. It took intense negotiations for the DRC to resume its activities—on the condition that its staff be reinstated in the process.

Accusations of violence and pressure

The Coalition for the Defense of the Human Rights of People Living in Refugee Camps (CDH/VICAR) describes the interviews as « massive and coercive » and denounces a violation of refugees’ fundamental rights. Its president, Léopold Sharangabo, accuses :
« These are not interviews, they are injunctions. Refugees are forced to sign documents they don’t understand. »

According to anonymous testimonies collected by SOS Médias Burundi, intelligence agents and local NGO leaders are allegedly involved in acts of intimidation : nighttime threats, beatings, rape, arrests, or torture against those who refuse to cooperate.

An operation resulting from a tripartite agreement

These interviews are part of an agreement signed in December 2024 between Tanzania, Burundi, and the UNHCR. The stated objective : sorting between refugees who still require international protection and those « whose reasons for fleeing are no longer valid. »

But for many refugees, this operation aims for something quite different :
« It’s a theater. The decisions have already been made. They want to get rid of us. »

Tanzania is still home to more than 104,000 Burundian refugees. Most of them fled the 2015 crisis triggered by another controversial term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza that same year.

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A Burundian refugee based in Tanzania prepares food for her children (SOS Médias Burundi)