BUJUMBURA April 19th (ABP) – 5,598 People made up of 1,900 households returned to their native land from January 1, 2022 to April 15, 2022 in 35 convoys. This massive return movement of Burundians to their native land is part of the voluntary repatriation movement facilitated by the government of Burundi and the UNHCR, the director general in charge of repatriation, Mr. Nestor Bimenyimana, told a check by ABP on Tuesday the 19th.
Those Burundians returned from refugee camps in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo, Mozambique and Kenya. In that voluntary return movement, refugees living on Rwandan soil come first with a number of 1,990 while in February 2022, they were at 981. Rwanda is followed by Uganda, Tanzania and the DR Congo with respectively 1948, 1002 and 513 returnees.
The directorate general in charge of repatriation also notes a voluntary return of 112 returnees from Kenya and 33 returnees from Mozambique.
It also notes a voluntary return of 190,645 returnees made up of 63,371 households during the period from August 1, 2017 to April 15, 2022. The latter returned from Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia, North Sudan and Benin. Other Burundians returned from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Senegal and Malawi.
The tripartite agreement, which was signed in the late 2019, provides for the repatriation of at least 2,000 returnees per week at the rate of 1,000 returnees per convoy and twice a week.
The highest authorities of the Republic of Burundi, starting with the Head of State, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, continue to encourage Burundians in exile to return to their homeland.