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Transit site closes in Rwanda as last Burundians leave
9 Sep 2005 A year after it received the first of hundreds of refugees from Burundi, Gikonko transit site in southern Rwanda has closed as the refugees either opt to return home with UNHCR assistance or to move to a nearby camp. -
Casting the net wide to help Burundi's returnee communities
22 Aug 2005 In an innovative project to help Burundian returnees reintegrate, UNHCR is providing seed capital to fishing communities on Lake Tanganyika, allowing them to improve their livelihood and diet. Once repaid, the money will be reinvested into other projects to help the returnees and their neighbours. -
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. -
South Kivu sees high tide of Congolese returnees
22 Jul 2005 UNHCR has reported a sharp rise in the number of refugees returning on their own to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after spending days on the road or travelling on rickety boats from Tanzania. They say they're back to enrol their children in school, rebuild their homes and vote in the elections. -
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.