Thousands of Burundian refugees are in camps that aid agencies say are
now at a breaking point.
The group Doctors Without Borders say the Nyarugusu refugee camp now
hosts 142,000 refugees.
Up to 1,000 people are crossing the forested border between Burundi
and Tanzania each day.
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| Burundian refugees (seen above) line up at the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania |
The Burundians are fleeing ethnic and political violence in their own
country related to Burundian President Pierra Nkurunziza’s attempt to run for a
controversial third term, which the opposition says is illegal under Burundi’s
constitution.
An estimated 78,000 Burundians are sheltering in Nyarugusu camp,
joining 64,000 Congolese refugees who have been there since 1997, when the camp
was set up to host a maximum of 50,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Democratic
Republic of Congo.