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Government wants Burundi peace sustained to avoid refugees’ influx
2007-08-11 10:43:46
By Pascal Shao, Dodoma
The government is making efforts to ensure that Palipehutu FNL joins Burundi government in a bid to sustain peace and avoid further influx of refugees into Tanzania.
Deputy Minister for Public Safety and Security, Lawrence Masha told Parliament on Thursday in Dodoma while responding to a question by Felix Kijiko (Muhambwe, CCM).
Kijiko had wanted to know strategies put forth by the government to deal with further influx of refugees who could seek asylum in the country due to Palipehutu FNL staging guerilla war against the Burundi government.
He added that the question of refugees coming to Tanzania was not in the hands of Tanzanians but rather of the Burundian government.
`It`s upon the Burundi government and its people to sustain peace and security in their country to avoid the shame of being refugees,` said Kijiko.
Masha said the Burundi, Tanzania and UNHCR tripartite Commission had agreed on transformation for voluntary repatriation.
He said that by year 2008 all refugees in Tanzania would have returned to their home country.
Speaking on illegal immigrants into Tanzania, he said the government was making efforts to strengthen immigration offices around the borders.
`We have told the public living near the borders to report whenever they suspect that someone is a foreigner,` he said.
He added that another strategy is to register people living in villages near the borders in a special registry.
Masha said the permanent solution was to check citizenship by issuing identity cards.
The government is currently implementing the project to provide identities to all citizens.
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