Rwamfizi’s family of 8, six children and parents fled to Tanzania around April-May 2017. On the 10th of August 2017, their tent was burned by unknown assailants. The incident has already killed 5 members of the family. Three children passed away immediately, following the incident that set fire on their home. Because of sustained injuries, the Mother died five days later, on the 16th of August 2017. Rwampfizi, the father and husband, died on the 17th of August 2017 due to the fire wounds. The entire family came to Nyarugusu to seek shelter and has now died under the UNHCR protection. Keep the 3 orphans left in your prayers.
How it happened
Cohabitation in such a large refugee camp had not previously been a major concern, largely because refugees are required to comply with internal regulations and UNHCR rules. However, an incident occurred last week when Rwampfizi’s tent caught fire at around 00:30 on the night of 10 August 2017, three days before his community was due to commemorate the Gatumba massacre in Burundi.
According to my sources, Rwampfizi had arrived in Tanzania only three months before the incident. He was among approximately 35 Banyamulenge families who sought refuge in Tanzania this year due to the escalation of conflict in the Uvira and Fizi territories. In total, the Banyamulenge community in Nyarugusu is estimated to number around 130 individuals, including men, women, and children. While four or five families have lived in the camp for several years, most arrived in Nyarugusu around the same time as Rwampfizi.
Unprotected vulnerable children.
The incident had unfortunately cost lives of the twins Bukuru (boy) and Butoto (girl) who were 5 years-old but also Mbonyi Kana (a 3 years-old girl). The deceased young children have been buried yesterday, adding the sorrow to the unmanageable situation of the parents. The parents are in the critical conditions, striving with the injuries to the extent that the mother would possibly become blind as the fire has deeply affected the head and face. The incident that reminds the Gatumba massacre for his larger ethnic community, his perpetrators have used fuel to burn the tent while the family were in a deep sleep. The two yet survivors, father and the mother are in the hospital and need a support from whoever thinks can help. We have had hard to get in contact with the UNHCR to inquire if it would be able to support the appropriate treatment; but it has possibly to do so.
Failure to protect
What is particularly striking is that the plan to harm the Banyamulenge community in Nyarugusu was reported to a police officer named Asha (apologies for any misspelling) in July 2017. She promised to follow up with the refugee camp management in order to find an appropriate solution. A few weeks later, however, Rwampfizi’s family paid the price for the sluggishness of UN bodies in decision-making.
The slow response to the concern may also reflect an underestimation of the deep hatred and resentment among ethnic communities in their region of origin. In addition, the fate of these Banyamulenge remains unpredictable. Since the night of the incident, they have all moved to the camp’s reception centre (1.5 km from the main camp) to seek protection again, even though they fear a possible decision forcing them to return to their tents.
Unless otherwise determined, UNHCR and the Tanzanian government are responsible and accountable for the protection of asylum seekers. They must ensure that the perpetrators are identified and, above all, that potential victims are adequately protected.
Locate Nyarugusu
Nyarugusu Refugee Camp is located in Tanzania’s Kigoma Region, approximately 150 km from Lake Tanganyika, near the borders with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The refugee camp is located roughly 1,400 km from Tanzania’s main commercial city. It currently hosts approximately 110,000 refugees from the DRC and Burundi. These figures fluctuate due to ongoing socio-political instability in the region, particularly in Burundi following the contested 2015 elections.
The 2015 Burundi crisis displaced around 80,000 people, about half of whom were accommodated in Nduta and Mtendeli camps. Recent estimates indicate that about 58% of the Nyarugusu camp population is of Congolese origin, mainly from South Kivu. The principal ethnic communities represented in the camp include the Babembe, Bafuliro, Bavira, Babwari, and a smaller number of Banyamulenge.
Tensions among refugees
Nyarugusu refugee camp was established in November 1996 to accommodate mainly Congolese refugees fleeing recurrent conflicts in eastern DRC, particularly the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo/Zaire (AFDL) rebellion and the subsequent local ethnic confrontations in the Fizi–Uvira area. As the majority of refugees are from Congo and Burundi, they carry with wounds and local grievances from their home countries.
Recent developments suggest that these longstanding tensions may have extended into the camp. This week, three children under the age of five reportedly died from injuries sustained in what is suspected to have been a targeted ethnic attack. The ongoing military clashes in Lulimba, Misisi, Nganja, and Kikonde may have further exacerbated the situation and contributed to the incident.
Pray for the victims
The victims request help to anyone able to do something so that they won’t fall in the same fate as did these young victims. You want to support in any way, let us know by dropping a message, we will enable you to get in touch with the survivors/victims.
PhD Researcher in Conflict Economics
The Institute of Social Studies/
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Delphino12
What happened to our people in Nyarugusu is very sad. It seems the world & UNHCR in particular didn’t learn from what happened at Gatumba in Burundi.
The remaining Banyamulenge people in this refugee camp should be relocated.
There isn’t any other option that can guarantee their security. The only solution to address this problem that has been causing unpalatable consequences is to separate them from other refugees from South Kivu, some of whom, are still prisoners of hatred.
We Banyamulenge who had experience these so many times,is very had to trust any government!since in Burundi gatumba i so confident that Tanzania government was aware,they may denied today because of what’s happening to us but doesn’t.matter of fact our people are mistreated under UN . UN you should be shame on yourself.to us you never done what u call yourself to do.
From yesterday after this incident The is no different between our enemies and UNHCR.
I think this is a failure of the UN security agency for not punishing the Gatumba perpatrators who declared to be responsible of the August 13, 2004 massacre, now the same people are still implementire the same system of killing Banyamurenge in the so said protection camp of the UN. This is a shame and i think it is cowardiness to watch this and do not condemn it.
Let us ra ise our words not necessarily our voices, may be soon or later, they will be heard and justice will definitely be granted to the victims of all these tragedies.
That is so sad !!!
What UN HCR are doing