SOS Médias Burundi

Nduta, August 12, 2025 – Two Burundian refugees were kidnapped in the middle of the camp by a Tanzanian police vehicle, before being found dead two weeks later in the morgue in Kibondo district, in the Kigoma region, northwest Tanzania, where the Nduta refugee camp is located. A climate of fear is spreading among the camp’s residents.

The first, Célestin, aged about 38 years, was kidnapped in early August while he was at home in Zone 14. His compatriot, Syldie, aged about 28 years, was arrested in similar circumstances in Village 1, also in Zone 14.

The families have tried to find their loved ones, but without success. When they went to the police station to file a complaint, the authorities denied any involvement, claiming that the case was not in their records and that none of their vehicles were involved.

These explanations did not convince the families, that stated :

« We know what they’re doing. They come in civilian clothes, armed, arrest whoever they want, and then leave. We know that our loved ones were taken to a secret location outside the camp to undergo inhumane torture. »

They then searched all the prisons around the camp, without result.

It was only last Friday, after two weeks of silence, when the UNHCR and the police came to deliver the bad news.

« We were taken by the UNHCR to the Kibondo district town center to see if our missing persons were there, » the families said.

In a morgue full of bodies lying on the floor, each family recognized their missing person. Célestin’s wife and Syldie’s younger brother formally identified the bodies.

A group of local leaders present during this visit testified :

« Célestin had a hole in his head, probably from a bullet. »

Despite requests for an explanation, the UNHCR remained silent, citing a situation beyond its control.

Back at the camp, the leaders were ordered to prepare the burials, but the families refused until a clear investigation into this double murder was conducted. The police simply stated :

« All the people found at the Kibondo morgue were members of criminal gangs. »

This case has sparked strong emotion in the Nduta camp, where arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and abductions are on the rise, fueling growing concern.

The refugees accuse the UNHCR of failing to fulfill its protection role :

« It has failed in its primary mission! » they denounce.

They call on the international community and human rights organizations to take stock of these violations and demand that Tanzania respect international agreements on refugee protection.

The Nduta camp currently hosts more than 58,000 Burundian refugees, making it the largest Burundian refugee camp in Tanzania.