No funds to support DRC refugees in Tanzania

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Tanzania has raised the red flag over a lack of funds to take care of the increased number of refugees from the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) .

Sudi Mwakibasi, Director of the Refugee Services Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the country needs urgent financial support for the refugees who flocked to Nyarugusu camps located in the Kigoma region. Mr. Mwakibasi revealed that this year, Tanzania received 11,000 refugees from the DRC, but there has been no support from the development partners.

Additionally, authorities in Dodoma appealed to development partners to support refugees living in camps. It followed an earlier announcement by the World Food Programme that it would slash food rations for refugees in Tanzania due to a critical funding gap.

The pace of the voluntary return of refugees to their respective countries, such as Burundi and the DRC, has also been hindered by a lack of funding.

However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it needs at least $700 million in its budget to support its programs in Tanzania. UNHCR data shows that Tanzania has become a regular recipient country for refugees fleeing violence from neighboring countries.

Hundreds of Congolese began entering Tanzania to seek refuge through the Kigoma region and Lake Tanganyika using canoes between September 2022 and January 2023, according to Tanzanian government officials.

In conclusion, most of them are housed at the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp near the border with the DRC. But authorities have also reported undeclared numbers sneaking in through porous borders.

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