180 000 Burundian refugees have returned from exile

BUJUMBURA: More than 180 000 Burundian citizens who had lived in exile since April 2015 have returned home, says a senior government official.

Burundi plunged into a crisis when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for his controversial third term. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.

About 100 025 who fled the crisis had returned by December 31, 2016, following the call of Nkurunziza, home affairs and civic education spokesman Therence Ntahiraja said on Wednesday.

Between January and mid-August this year, more than 68 000 citizens had come back from exile, he said.

A tripartite meeting held on August 31 in Tanzania between Tanzania, Burundi and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) set the target of repatriating about 12 000 Burundian refugees in Tanzania till the end of this year.

But the Burundian government had received over 13 000 returnees in this voluntary repatriation process, said Ntahiraja.

The government and UNHCR were planning to repatriate more than 60 000 Burundian refugees next year, he said.

The government has reiterated its call for the repatriation of Burundian refugees who fled the 2015 crisis, saying the country is at peace.

There are 428 514 Burundian refugees who haven’t returned, among them 391 636 refugees who fled the country since the crisis, according to figures from UNHCR, last updated on December 11, 2017. – Xinhua