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New agreement paves way home for Burundians from Rwanda
19 Aug 2005 Thousands of Burundian refugees could be on their way home under a tripartite agreement on voluntary repatriation from Rwanda signed between the two governments and the UN refugee agency yesterday. -
Survivors mark anniversary of massacre at Burundi transit camp
16 Aug 2005 A year after unknown attackers killed more than 150 Congolese refugees at Gatumba transit camp just inside Burundi, survivors gathered at a ceremony in Gihinga camp to mourn the dead and share the trauma. -
Sharp rise in returns to Burundi, says UNHCR
12 Aug 2005 The UN refugee agency expects to see a six-fold increase in the number of Burundian refugees going home to the south this month compared to previous months. Returnees say they are confident following June's communal elections - virtually the last step in a long transition to full peace and democracy. -
Royal Nansen Refugee Award for "Angel of Burundi"
23 Jun 2005 In a grand ceremony in Brussels, Burundian humanitarian worker Marguerite Barankitse received the award for her tireless work on behalf of children affected by war, poverty and disease. -
UNHCR urges Burundi to stop involuntary returns
14 Jun 2005 Some 5,000 Rwandan asylum seekers have been taken home from Burundi in what UNHCR considers involuntary returns that violate the principle of non-refoulement. The refugee agency is concerned that 2,000 Rwandans still in Burundi and 7,000 Burundians in Rwanda could be sent home shortly. -
Burundi camp now empty after government sends Rwandans home
13 Jun 2005 Thousands of Rwandans who had sought asylum in Burundi have now been returned home from Songore transit centre. Although alarmed, UNHCR has been unable to verify if they went home voluntarily as the refugee agency has been denied access to the centre. -
UNHCR concerned as Rwandans converge on Burundi transit centre
31 May 2005 Thousands of Rwandan asylum seekers are being moved to Songore transit centre after their border sites were dismantled and another transit centre was closed. Songore is ill-equipped to host the new arrivals, who will have to live in the open until the centre is expanded in the coming weeks. -
Congolese students take exams in exile
19 May 2005 They yearn to learn, and have been undaunted by rough conditions in their camps in Burundi. UNHCR and the school authorities have arranged for these refugee students to take their high school exams in Bujumbura, but they cannot afford the uniforms needed to complete the final test in July. -
Intimidation reported as Rwandans return from Burundi
13 May 2005 UNHCR has raised serious concerns over reports from some Rwandan asylum seekers in Burundi that indicate physical and verbal intimidation are being used to force them to go home. The refugee agency has been unable to monitor these returns as most of them happen during curfew hours.