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Tanzania has closed the Nduta refugee camp, repatriating nearly all of its thousands of inhabitants back to Burundi.
Human rights activists and the United Nations confirmed that on Thursday, approximately 3,000 remaining refugees were forcibly loaded onto vehicles for return.
The closure is part of a bilateral agreement between the governments in Dar Es Salaam and Bujumbura to repatriate 100,000 refugees by June.
While a few families were transferred to the Nyarugusu camp, that facility is also scheduled to be shut down by June 30, 2026.
Rights groups have condemned the operation, reporting that residents were subjected to months of coercion, including the demolition of homes, restricted movement, and the linking of humanitarian aid to repatriation registration.
There have also been serious allegations of intimidation, arrests, and enforced disappearances leading up to the final closure.
The UNHCR stated that the move was conducted by the Tanzanian government in accordance with voluntary repatriation agreements, though the agency noted it had raised concerns regarding reports of pressure and abuse.
Despite these concerns, activists have criticised the UN for facilitating the operation instead of fulfilling its mandate to protect refugees who originally fled Burundi to escape political repression, civil war, and extreme poverty.
