Burundi: Could Filippo Grandi visit in Great Lakes region change the Calamitous refugee situation?
After his visit to DR Congo and Rwanda, Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is visiting Burundi. He accompanied Tuesday, April 27, 2021 a convoy of a hundred Burundian urban refugees who left Rwanda and who voluntarily decided to return to their native country. The latter were hosted at the Rwando-Burundian border of Gasenyi / Nemba by Gervais Ndirakobuca, alias Ndakugarika, Burundian Minister of the Interior, Public Safety and Community Development. The presence of this Super Minister of Evariste Ndayishimiye power is a way of showing Filippo grown up that the Burundian government cares many of its citizens who return to their home country. He had been hosting these refugees only during the first round of repatriation on August 27, 2020, at the same border of Gasenyi / Nemba. More than 24,000 Burundian refugees voluntarily left Rwanda to return to their native country. The last ones are the 114 urban refugees who returned on April 27, 2021 and 908 Burundian from Mahama who returned on April 28, 2021.
Filippo Grandi has not promised special refugees who remain in the host countries, especially than those in Rwanda only need to feed, having been reduced by 60% in recent months. Security for them is guaranteed, unlike refugees in other countries of the sub region; those who live the Calvary more than others being those who have asked asylum in Tanzania.
So far, Filippo Grandi has not yet said word on this insecurity that affects refugees in some countries like the DRC and especially Tanzania. Yet a report by United Nations Human Rights Experts released on April 13, 2021 shows how the Tanzanian government, connivance with the Burundian government dismissed refugees in fragrant violation of the law in this area. These experts deplore cases of enforced disappearances, torture, forced returns and intimidation committed against Burundian refugees. The report accuses the Tanzanian and Burundian governments to be responsible for these abuses.
Will Filippo Grandi evoke this situation with President Evariste Ndayishimiye to prevent him from violating international law that protects refugees against forced repatriation? We do not think a single moment that this Chief of UNHCR will be able to discuss this issue directly because, so far, despite the writings and cries of human rights organizations in general and those of the refugees in particular, nor Filippo Grandi himself, nor his regional representatives, no one did any reaction. Even at its media outlet on April 27, 2021, Filippo Grandi said it will talk to the Burundian authorities on the follow-up of former refugees “We have a constructive dialogue with the new government and we will continue to emphasize the importance to manage the feedback for these people to feel and are safe. I will also highlight the importance of our own presence in the return areas to make a correct follow-up of returns” This shows that UNHCR is much more concerned about the return of refugees as desired by the power of Evariste Ndayishimiye, without worrying about the security conditions in which refugees are found once returned from force. Even those who are happy to come from Rwanda are monitored by them closely by the Immbonerakure militia. A person has already been killed, other arrested. The Chief of UNHCR does not even think that some refugees are reassured without being reassured on their safety in Burundi only because they are afraid of starving after the 60% reduction in the ration. Taken from despair, some did not even hesitate to say that UNHCR did it on purpose to support the Burundian government in its policy of repatriating all refugees; One way to show the international community that everything is fine in the country, while people are constantly dying, corpses are found daily in rivers and streets, people are often kidnapped and killed by the SNR and the Imbonerakure militia.
Can we then say that UNHCR supports this government in these serious refugee rights violations? On the one hand, we can say yes, or it is complicit because it never reacts to the cries of alert of the defence organizations of refugees, whereas it is the one organ in charge. On the other hand, it can be imagined that UNHCR leaves refugees returned to a country where insecurity and human rights violations continue knowing that tomorrow, they will still flee when the situation has exploded. And in this way, his staff will never fail for use.
In any case, people have the right to interpret this situation as they want because it is incomprehensible that UNHCR in charge of refugees closes their eyes before the abuses made to them by some governments such as that of Burundi and Tanzania. It should normally call them to order, or even, seek to relocate them in countries that still have the meaning of respect for human rights and those of refugees. Stay in front of such a situation seems to mean to be accomplice with these countries.
URN Hitamwoneza remains convinced that although UNHCR does not want to denounce them, the governments of Burundi and Tanzania will be responsible for the violations of the rights of Burundian refugees (as stressed by the report of the experts of the human rights of the NU) and will one-day answer in front of the courts skills. Cases of killings, torture, forced disappearances, arbitrary imprisonment and forced repatriations have been regularly documented; they will be put in broad day the time coming. Filippo Grandi, as the representative of UNHCR at the time of the fact, will also be arrested to explain his inaction and silence before serious and fragrant violations of the rights of people under his responsibility.