By: Macy Janine Pamaranglas – Art in Tanzania Intern
Introduction
Not many people may have heard of this, but Tanzania is “one of the world’s most generous refugee hosting countries” and even hosted more than a million refugees 30 years ago.
The United Republic of Tanzania currently hosts around 248,000 refugees, mainly from its neighbouring countries, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Refugees are full of hope as they consider Tanzania a place to survive and build their future. For instance, #CaseForChange is a movement that aims to transform lives using mobile technology. This movement reached Tanzania’s largest refugee camp, Nyagurusu. #CaseForChange worked on innovating students’ learning experience by providing them with computers, tablets, and the Internet. This initiative inspired many students to strive for their dreams. A 20-year-old female student named Sephora says, “We’re not afraid anymore…we’re confident that we can achieve whatever we want”.
Yet, despite the opportunities Tanzania offers, the country is suffering from a refugee crisis. Here are some of the reasons why it is harder to become a refugee in Tanzania:
- Restricted Mobility
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), refugees are forbidden to leave the camps “to work, trade, or go to school”. Tanzania justifies such a “strict encampment policy” as the State aims to return refugees to their conflict-ridden homeland rather than integrating them into Tanzanian society. Not only does this enforce discrimination and division, but it also endangers the lives of refugees. Consequently, refugees are neither able to sustain themselves nor able to contribute to the local economy. Tanzania pulled out from the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) to comprehend such marginalisation. The latter is an “initiative to find solutions for refugees and improve the situation in refugee-hosting countries”.
2. Underfunded Refugee Response
Tanzania’s refugees struggle to attain their basic needs; thus, various humanitarian organizations struggle to provide essential services such as water and sanitation, education, shelter, and social services. UN OCHA says the refugee population needs 302.7 million dollars, but the available funds are only 82 million. In short, only 27% of the total needs can be covered.
There are limited classrooms for a rising number of students in the education sector. For example, one classroom has 180 pupils per session, which can worsen due to possible camp relocations.
Regarding shelter, refugees initially stay in a tent for a week since they are still in emergency mode. However, refugees are suffering from an unending cycle of “emergency mode”; hence, they must stay in these fragile tents due to the lack of more sustainable shelters. Fred Magumba, NRC’s Area Manager in Kibondo, Tanzania, says, “The standards are so low. Less than half the families have their own latrines. The rest have to use communal latrines. This is OK for an emergency when people have just fled and arrived in the camp, but eventually, they must own their latrines. Right now, there isn’t money to fund it”. Unfortunately, considering the harsh living conditions in these camps, various illnesses (i.e. malaria) are more likely to spread among refugees.
3. Abuse and Forced Disappearances
Burundian refugees have been suffering from arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances in collaboration with Tanzanian security forces and the Burundi State. The UN reports, “Burundian refugees and asylum-seekers now live in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night by Tanzanian security forces and taken to an unknown location or being forcefully returned to Burundi”. More specifically, Burundi intelligence staff pretend to be refugees to identify specific people. Afterwards, Tanzanian forces arrest these individuals. Furthermore, Burundian refugees are harassed to sign up for “voluntary return”.
Efforts for Improvement
Although Tanzania’s refugee response is considered “forgotten”, international humanitarian organizations are doing their best to cater to the needs of refugees. Examples include the following:
NRC provided “vocational training including basic education, life skills and entrepreneurship skills to youth”, “construction, maintenance and upgrade of transitional shelters”, “appropriate water supply systems including source selection, abstraction, storage, treatment and distribution of new systems and/or the repair/rehabilitation of old systems” etc.
IRC helped by “working with leaders of refugee communities to prevent violence against women and bolster women’s empowerment”, “providing counselling services and support to survivors”, etc.
Oxfam contributed to the camps’ betterment “by installing water supplies and tap-stands, constructing water storage tanks, toilets, bathing shelters and hand washing facilities, and digging rubbish pits.”
Conclusion
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, “a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom”. Therefore, as a host country, Tanzania must respect the core principle of non-refoulment, for it is a rule under customary international law. Together with global humanitarian organizations, Tanzania’s refugee crisis needs greater attention since, in human rights, “All are equal before the law and are entitled without discrimination to equal protection. All are entitled to equal protection against discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against incitement to such discrimination.” (Article 7 of UDHR).
Sources
At Tanzania’s refugee camps, local health teams take the lead. The US Presidents Malaria Initiative VectorLink Project. (2022, June 6). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://pmivectorlink.org/2022/06/06/at-tanzanias-refugee-camps-local-health-teams-take-the-lead/
Burundian refugees find safety in Tanzania but also new challenges. Oxfam International. (2022, May 25). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.oxfam.org/en/burundian-refugees-find-safety-tanzania-also-new-challenges
NRC in United Republic of Tanzania. NRC. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/nrc-in-tanzania/
Romtveit , G. (2019, March 6). 6 things to know about refugees in Tanzania. NRC. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2019/6-things-you-should-know-about-refugees-in-tanzania/
Romtveit, G. (2019, March 7). Tanzania crisis ignored: “You people should look at us”. NRC. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/march/tanzania-crisis-ignored-you-people-should-look-at-us/
Tanzania. International Rescue Committee. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.rescue.org/uk/country/tanzania
UNHCR – the 1951 refugee convention. UNHCR. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html
United Nations. (2021, April 13). Burundi refugees in Tanzania living in fear: Un rights experts | | 1UN news. United Nations. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1089632
United Nations. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
YouTube. (2019, February 26). From hardship to hope in the classrooms of Tanzania’s biggest refugee camp | #caseforchange. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqGSesy2RLs&t=332s