Assessment Of Tanzania's Refugee Policy

The thesis is important concerning an Assessment of the Tanzania's Refugees Policy for hosting Burundi refugees from 2015 to 2019.The study speculates how the Tanzania's refugee policy managed in the implementation of the Burundi's refugees.The Tanzanian government willingness to host Burundi refugees immediately after the Burundi conflict was guided by the refugees Act of 1998 and the Tanzania's refugee policy of 2003.Historically,the government of Tanzania has been hosting refugees from different neighboring countries.It started hosting refugees after attaining its independence in 1961 from Democratic Republic of Congo,Burundi and Rwanda.In 2015,the Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza declared to be a candidate in the general elections which was supposed to be conducted in June of the same year.This action was not accepted by different people in the country especially the leaders,because the constitution of Burundi legally allows a president only to be in the office for not more than two terms(10 years).However,Nkurunziza wanted to run the government for the third term.That action of Nkurunziza forcing himself to run the government for the third time brought about peace instability as common people who were used by the opposition to scramble so as to make Nkurunziza not to compete in the election started to be killed by the police.The massive killing happened in Burundi after that conflict led a large number of people to flee from their country and go to the neighboring countries in which Tanzania is included.Before and after the election of Burundi,the Burundi peace stability became tremendously poor.The Burundi refugees arrived in the western border of Tanzania and Burundi immediately after the eruption of the conflict.Around 254,000 refugees arrived in Tanzania's Kigoma province with the help of the Tanzanian government and the United Nation Organizations(NGOs),the refugees were handled,i.e.Being registered and they were given urgent services such us food and shelter(Tents).It should be noted that this was a prior-action before they were taken to the displaced persons camps(Nyarugusu,Nduta and Mtendeli).UN considered the 2015 Burundirefugees as an emergency situation,which is why most Organizations delayed in supporting these refugees on time.It is obvious that refugees hosting is always a burden to the host country.The2015 Burundi refugees' eruption became a burden to the Tanzania's Government and the host community,because the Burundi refugees' eruption in Tanzania was an emergency situation.When the refugees arrived in Tanzania,the Tanzanian Government had to make sure that the refugees are safe and provided with basic needs.The Tanzanian government had to divert its resources for the refugees instead of using it in developing other sectors.For their presence in Tanzania,Burundi refugees in some cases not only destroyed the Tanzanian cultures especially to the nearby host communities,but they also led to the Tanzanian Government being condemned by different scholars from different countries.This is because of its merciless practice eviction/repatriation of the Burundi refugees from the year 2017 that Tanzania was accused of violating human rights.It should be noted that the returning of Burundi refugees to their country was a decision made by the two governments--Tanzania and Burundi after the Burundi's government agreed that the situation is good and refugees can be repatriated.On the other hand,the Tanzania's Refugee Policy of 2003 which has the mandate of organizing and managing refugees in Tanzania was realized to have had weaknesses in providing rights to the refugees.At the same time,however,those rights seem to be hindered by the same policy.Some of the rights which seem to be confusing are the right to work and of free movement.These rights seem to undermine refugees,something which makes it difficult for refugees to get income and fight against poverty when they are in the camp.At the same time,the Tanzanian government fails to get income and maximum profit from the refugees if they could work and move freely.Therefore,this thesis aims to check how the Tanzania's Refugee Policy of 2003 helped Tanzania to host refugees.The research will automatically answer the questions as to why the Tanzanian Government accepted to host Burundi Refugees in2015 although it was aware of the challenges of keeping them;How the Tanzanian Government implemented the policy in favoring the Burundian refugees from 2015-2019,and what benefits Tanzania can get by hosting the Burundian refugees.The study employed a qualitative methodology through achieving materials from books,papers,journals and articles concerning the whole study about Burundian refugees in Tanzania from 2015 – 2019.Chapter 1 explained the background of the study,in which it gives the details as to when the United Republic of Tanzania started hosting refugees.It also depicts the reasons that brought about conflict in Burundi that led to her citizens fleeing to neighboring countries(Tanzania inclusive)as refugees.The chapter also introduced the significance,main argument of the study,the role of Tanzanian government in hosting the Burundi refugees,the implementation of Tanzania refugees' policy on Burundi refugees,and the challenges faced by the Burundi refugees and literature review.Chapter 2 explains the situation when the Burundian refugees arrived in Tanzania,the roles played by the government on Burundi refugees when the refugees entered Tanzania,the contribution of the United Nation Organizations in managing the Burundi Refugees.The chapter assessed about the life standards of the refugees and their challenges.Chapter 3 was all about the impacts of refugees in Tanzania whereby the chapter showed how the government of Tanzania is affected by the Burundi refugees.Refugees do affect negatively a nation income due to the fact that the nation has to spend its fund which was supposed to be consumed in other developmental purpose and being diverted to refugees.The impacts are in economic,social and political aspects.Chapter 4 discussed the benefits attained for hosting the Burundi refugees economically,socially and politically.That means even though the government of Tanzania faces many challenges in hosting the Burundi refugees but it also attains benefits.The benefits can be seen to the local host communities and the country generally.Chapter 5 gave an assessment of the Tanzania Refugees' Policy in hosting the Burundi refugees since they arrived in Tanzania and were provided with the basic needs,weaknesses of the policy which seem to undermine some human right and recommendations which are referred as solutions to the weaknesses of what seem to be the problem in the process of hosting refugees.