Closure of Tanzania's Nduta Camp Sends Thousands of Burundian Refugees Into a Desperate Cross-Border Journey
Kakuma, 28 May 2026
Since Nduta camp closed on 30 April 2026, thousands of Burundian refugees have been making perilous journeys to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, with many arriving hungry, weak, and without assistance — and a second camp closure looming by July 2026.
A Camp Emptied, A Region Scrambling
On 30 April 2026, the Nduta refugee camp in Tanzania was officially closed, and its infrastructure formally handed over to Tanzanian authorities [1][2]. What followed has been described by those on the ground as a chaotic exodus — thousands of Burundian refugees setting off on foot and in small groups, crossing borders clandestinely, and arriving at receiving camps across Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda in states of acute vulnerability [1]. The scale of the movement is significant: according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 200,000 Burundian refugees are currently spread across the sub-region, including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Zambia, and Malawi [1][2].
Hunger, Arrests, and Clandestine Crossings
Testimonies gathered from refugees describe their journeys as a ‘path of suffering’ [1][2]. Clandestine border crossings, repeated arrests by Tanzanian police, and forced returns to Burundi or Tanzania have been widely reported among those who fled after Nduta’s closure [1]. One refugee account describes being arrested twice by Tanzanian police before finally reaching Uganda after multiple attempts, with some crossings reportedly facilitated by corruption at the border [1][2]. Many thousands more are reported to still be en route or stranded inside Tanzania, while some individuals have disappeared along the way entirely [1][2]. The human cost is stark: refugees arrive at destination camps hungry and physically weakened, going house to house in search of food [1][2].
What Is Happening at Each Receiving Camp
At the Nakivale camp in Uganda, sources on the ground report the arrival of several hundred Burundians every week for approximately one month leading up to 26 May 2026 [1][2]. The arrivals are predominantly women and children, with men reported as comparatively few in number [1][2]. A community leader at Nakivale described the movement as unusual and called on both Ugandan authorities and UNHCR to respond to the continuous influx, noting that new arrivals often receive no immediate assistance upon arrival [1]. At the Kakuma camp in Kenya — a camp that also serves the adjacent Kalobeyei settlement — new arrivals are reportedly being registered and provided with food aid, though some refugees remain stranded at the Tanzanian border and have not yet been able to complete their journey into Kenya [1][2]. The situation at Mahama camp in Rwanda differs somewhat: arrivals there are reported to be less frequent, attributed to stricter border controls on the Rwandan side [1][2]. One family interviewed at Mahama stated that they received asylum and swift assistance upon arrival, despite having endured a difficult journey from Nduta [1].
The Tripartite Agreement and Growing Criticism of UNHCR
The closure of Nduta was not an unexpected event in isolation. It occurred under the framework of a tripartite agreement between Tanzania, Burundi, and UNHCR concerning voluntary repatriation [1][2]. Critics argue, however, that the pace and manner of implementation have left tens of thousands of people with no viable option but to flee to neighbouring countries under dangerous conditions [1][2]. Several refugees have directly accused UNHCR and Tanzanian authorities of responsibility for the deteriorating humanitarian situation [1]. The crisis is further compounded by what lies ahead: the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania, which still hosts Burundian refugees as of 28 May 2026, is also scheduled to close by 31 July 2026 [1][2]. That deadline is now just over two months away [alert! ‘No official UNHCR or Tanzanian government statement has been independently verified confirming the Nyarugusu closure deadline; this is based solely on reporting by SOS Médias Burundi’], and humanitarian organisations warn that the situation is likely to become significantly more difficult in the weeks ahead [1][2]. As of 28 May 2026, neither UNHCR nor the Kenyan Department of Refugee Services (DRS) had issued a formal public statement regarding the expected influx into Kakuma or Kalobeyei, though the situation is understood to be under active monitoring [alert! ‘Absence of a public statement confirmed by source context, but no official UNHCR or DRS communication was independently verified at time of publication’].