Some 8,500 Burundian refugees who fled their country in 1972 are to be resettled in the United States this year and the first batch of 88 flew from
Kibondo Camp in western Tanzania this morning to the Kenyan capital Nairobi en route to their new US homes.Some 3,000 of the "1972 Burundian refugees" – about 35 percent of the number
accepted for resettlement – are expected to leave Kibondo for Nairobi and then travel on to various US cities, such as Atlanta and Phoenix, over the next 15 weeks. The whole process is expected
to be completed by the end of this year.The operation is being organized by the US government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. Before their departure from
Nairobi, the refugees will undergo an orientation workshop organized by IOM. This will help prepare them for a new life in the US and ease their integration.The "1972 Burundians" represent one
of the world's most protracted refugee situations, and resettlement is the only viable durable solution for most of them. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled to neighbouring countries that year
to escape ethnic violence which killed an estimated 200,000 people. Children of these refugees born in exile were also being considered for resettlement in the US.Some of the refugees have
been displaced several times in the Great Lakes region. In 1972, thousands of the Burundians fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. But they had to move to Tanzania when
conflict erupted in these countries in the 1990s. At the same time, some Burundians returned home after several years of exile but had to seek sanctuary in neighbouring countries once more when a new
wave of violence swept their country.While repatriation of Burundian refugees remains a priority, we believe that successful repatriation and reintegration of this particular group is not
possible. After nearly 35 years in exile, they would face complex and unresolved land issues. Moreover, some refugees believe they are viewed as outsiders and would never be able to fully integrate in
Burundi. Those born in exile identify closely with their host country, Tanzania, but it cannot offer them local integration.Tanzania still hosts some 276,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi and
the DRC.
