Burundian returning refugees look to a more prosperous and stable future
Observed annually on June 20, World Refugee Day reminds us that we have a duty to act in solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons and returnees. Regardless of their legal status, these communities have the same basic rights as others and their contribution to the development and prosperity of countries and communities is just as crucial.
Following the political instability and clashes which broke out in the small landlocked country of Burundi in East Africa in 2015, hundreds of thousands of people fled to nearby countries in search of safety and security.
Preventing further displacements and supporting more Burundi refugees wanting to return home to successfully reintegrate into their communities is a huge challenge, and one which requires the involvement of all: government, humanitarian and development partners, donors and local citizens.
Hoping for a more stable life back home
Pushing his bicycle along the cracked paths of Tura Hill, in the Muyinga province, Anicet beams with pride.
He is happy because he managed to become a successful fishmonger, able to support his family and help his three children grow up peacefully and safely.
But life hasn’t always been this way.
In 2015, to protect his family from the political instability and the food shortages, Anicet fled with his wife and children to neighbouring Tanzania.
Arriving in Tanzania, the harsh reality of refugee life set in. For three years, Anicet, who was once a farmer in Burundi, found himself having to work for other farmers in order to support his family.
As the situation in Burundi began to improve, Anicet repatriated his family. Returning to his homeland filled him with joy:
"I was so happy to come back to my homeland," he said, "[even if for] a returnee, getting a living is not always easy."
Not worrying about tomorrow
Thanks to UNHCR, Anicet’s family was offered transportation to return home, as well as three months of food rations - through WFP - and was also provided with household items, including buckets, soap, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheeting and kitchen utensils, and a cash allowance.
But the respite was short-lived. After three months, without any land or any source of income, Anicet began to struggle to provide for his family.
"With a little money I got from a community microfinance facility, I tried to start a fish business, but the project failed," he said.
As time passed, Anicet, became discouraged and began to consider leaving again.
Thousands of other Burundian returnees who voluntarily choose to go home have experienced similar challenges of having no livelihoods and limited access to land, housing, education, health and civil registry documents.
Exile is a difficult and perilous ordeal but returning home can also bring its share of doubts, disappointment, and despair.
Preventing intercommunity conflict
Even though the return package provided by UNHCR and WFP barely covers the needs of the refugees during the first three months upon their return, it sometimes generates tensions between returnees and local citizens. The latter, who often struggle with scarce resources, limited social and public services, and unemployment, fear increased competition with the returnees and sometimes consider them to be favored by humanitarian organizations, which adds to their resentment
To help address both the poverty issue and the threat on social cohesion between communities, IOM is working with the Burundian Government to organize community dialogue sessions and activities as part of projects known as “Quick Impact Projects” (QIPs).
Through these QIPs, returnees, IDPs and the local community come together to discuss their needs and decide which infrastructure projects to prioritize. The programme also offers the three communities the chance to contribute to the construction of these building projects, together, as part of a ‘cash to work’ scheme.
When prospects get brighter
Anicet, like thousands of others before him, benefited from this programme just when he thought he would have to leave his country again.
With the money he earned, he managed to revive his business.
"After buying livestock, I worked very hard, going to the river every day to buy fish and my earnings started to increase. With the money I earned, I bought a bike, which allowed me to bring even more fish [for sale] from the river," he said.
Belise, a 21-year-old returnee from Tanzania, also took part in a QIP.
"With the money I earned from building the two classrooms of our community, I could buy livestock and stabilize my family's life. I am also very proud to have participated in the construction of the school," she says.
Belise is also pleased that the project has brought her family closer to their neighbours. She is now looking forward to her four-year-old daughter attending school in one of the classrooms she helped build.
Preparing a more prosperous future when funding is lacking
In 2021, more than 65,000 Burundian refugees returned home from Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya thanks to the Burundi Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan (JRRRP), which was set up by several UN agencies under the leadership of the Burundi Government.
However, that same year, as the Joint Plan was only funded up to 21%, many returnees did not get the support they needed to achieve lasting socio-economic reintegration.
27-year-old Odette Nibitanga is a mother of three. She sells tomatoes and onions at the Kayogoro market to support her family. She used UNHCR’s cash grant on her return to Burundi to get her family back on their feet, but the money quickly ran out.
"I can't afford to build a house. We need more support," she says with despair.
According to UNHCR’s estimates, of the approximately 300,000 Burundian refugees still in exile, 70,000 are expected to return to Burundi in 2022.
Although the number of returnees continues to increase, the Joint Plan remains critically underfunded. Without sufficient funding from international donors, the needs of returnees will not be met, placing more pressure on Burundi’s already fragile economy, triggering conflict and forcing more vulnerable people to embark on another uncertain journey away from home.
Anicet is just one of many returnees who is determined to stay in Burundi. Pushing his bike through the village, he acknowledges:
"Everything I have now, I owe to the support I received. Before that, I was ready to go back to Tanzania. This help allowed me to stay."
Families like Anicet’s deserve the chance to return home and rebuild their lives in peace and prosperity. But this depends on the continued support of the UN and the rest of the international community to help ensure that Burundi’s refugee crisis is not forgotten.
The Burundi Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan (JRRRP) was set up by several partners, including UNHCR, UNDP, IOM, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, FAO, WHO, UN Women, and UNAIDS, under the leadership of the Burundi Government.
This piece was adapted and translated into English by the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) from a story originally written in French by Bernard Ntwari, Communications Officer, UNHCR, and Amaury Falt-Brown, Head of Communications, IOM, and previously published here.
To learn more about the UNs’ work in Burundi, please visit: burundi.un.org/fr. For more information on the results of our work in this area and beyond, read the SDG section of the 2022 UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.