• Burundi and U.N. agencies launched an $82 million plan to repatriate over 100,000 refugees by June 2026.

• The initiative mainly targets Burundians living in Tanzania and other neighboring asylum countries.

• More than 300,000 refugees have already returned since 2017 following the country’s 2015 political crisis.

The government of Burundi and United Nations agencies in the country signed an $82 million plan on Monday, March 2, to repatriate more than 100,000 Burundian refugees from Tanzania and other asylum countries by June 30, 2026.

#Burundi : Signature d’un plan ambitieux pour le retour massif des réfugiés depuis la Tanzanie et d’autres pays d’Asile

Ce lundi 02 mars 2026, le Ministre de l’Intérieur, du Développement communautaire et de la Sécurité publique, Léonidas Ndaruzaniye, en compagnie des… pic.twitter.com/SGrZ7p2JvL

— RTNB (@RTNBurundi) March 2, 2026

Brigitte Mukanga Eno, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Burundi, said the program would help organize the return of refugees while supporting their reintegration once they arrive home.

“The implementation of this repatriation plan will facilitate the organization of refugee returns and all the support activities needed for their reintegration,” she said.

Interior Minister Léonidas Ndaruzaniye welcomed the commitment from the United Nations and other government partners but urged them to release the pledged funds quickly to ensure the operation runs smoothly. He said Burundi is currently receiving around 8,000 returnees per week, well above the 3,000 initially planned.

According to Ndaruzaniye, the program is part of the country’s national priorities and aims to bring citizens back together so they can contribute collectively to development efforts under the government’s national vision.

The refugee flows stem from the political crisis that erupted in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term, widely criticized as unconstitutional. The decision triggered protests and violence across several regions of the country.

The unrest, compounded by communal tensions and ongoing security instability, forced hundreds of thousands of Burundians to flee to neighboring countries, particularly Tanzania.

Since 2017, more than 300,000 Burundian refugees have returned home, according to UNHCR data released through February 2026.

Ingrid Haffiny