The Burundian government and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, have agreed on “a massive return plan for more than 100,000 refugees from Tanzania and other countries of asylum at a cost of more than $82 million.
Interior Minister Leonidas Ndaruzaniye, announcing this Tuesday on state radio RTNB, noted that the operation to repatriate refugees in Tanzania will end in June 2026 with the closure of the Nduta camp, while the Nyarugusu camp will be closed at the end of this month of March 2026.
According to Brigitte Mukanga Eno, UNHCR representative in Burundi, more than 37,000 Burundian refugees have already returned to the country since the beginning of this year.
The total number of Burundian refugees repatriated since January 2017 is estimated to be over 300,000.
According to the latest count by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, the total number of Burundian refugees was estimated at 253,042 as of 28 February 2026. With over 101,720 people, Tanzania is the largest host country for Burundian refugees. It is followed by Rwanda (50,848), the Democratic Republic of Congo (46,873), Uganda (43,234), and Kenya (10,367).
This massive return of refugees is due to the return of peace to the country. The vast majority of these refugees left their country about ten years ago, following the political and security crisis linked to the decision of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term.
