Nyarugusu refugee camp ( Kambi ya wakimbizi ya Nyarugusu, in Swahili) is one of the largest and best-known refugee camps of the 21st century, with around 150,000 refugees.[1][2]

Nyarugusu Camp

Location edit

 
VOA Reporter Eddie Rwema visits Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania

Nyarugusu refugee camp is located in the Kasulu District, western province of Kigoma Region, Tanzania, about 150 km east of Lake Tanganyika.[3][2]

Background edit

Nyarugusu refugee camp was created by the UNHCR and the Tanzanian government in November 1996[2][4] after an estimated 150,000 Congolese refugees from the eastern Sud-Kivu region of the DRC crossed the border into Tanzania escaping civil war. Many Congolese refugees remained in the camp for decades, although the population of the camp was reducing before 2015. However, in 2015 over 110,000 Burundian refugees arrived in Tanzania to escape riots and civil unrest in Burundi. These refugees went to Nyarugusu until the Tanzanian government allowed Burundian refugees to go to other camps. Approximately 65,000 Burundian refugees remain at Nyarugusu, while 55,000 are at Nduta refugee camp, and another 19,000 are at Mtendeli refugee camp.[5] The camp is Sitting 40 kilometers away from the nearest town, Kasulu, and covers 1,200 hectares of land.[6]

Services edit

  • Education, there are 13 primary schools and 4 secondary schools that offer education to Congolese, 8 primary schools, and 2 secondary schools that educate the Burundian population.[4]
  • Health, Nyarugusu refugee camp has 2 health centers, 5 health posts, and 2 community-based rehabilitation centers.[4]
  • Skills, there are 3 youth centers, 2 women's centers, and a multipurpose vocational training center that offers skills to the refugees both from Congo and Burundi.[4]
  • Security, the camp has 2 police posts.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Tanzania Fact Sheet".
  2. ^ a b c [1] Refugees.org site
  3. ^ "NYARUGUSU CAMP VOICES". 26 May 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e "North-West Tanzania - Nyarugusu Refugee Camp Profile (31 July 2018) - United Republic of Tanzania | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  5. ^ "Refworld | UNHCR Regional Update 26 - Burundi Situation, 1 - 31 May 2016".
  6. ^ "Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Olssa's Story - UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)". www.uncdf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-03.

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