Preventing conflict and building peace through addressing the drivers of conflict and instability associated with forced displacement between Burundi and Tanzania
Start & End Date: 2018-2019
Country/Countries: Burundi, Tanzania
Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: United Nations Development Programme, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration
The project is a cross-border project in two countries: Burundi is a country that experienced an inflow of 400,000 Burundians in 2015, of which about 200,000 remain in Tanzania. There is further a displaced population in different provinces in Burundi. In addition, there are mixd migration flows across the border. Tanzania has traditionally been hosting refugees since the early crises in the Great Lake Regions - as early as 1959 but again after 1993 and 1994 with large influx to Ngara/Benaco, and then in 2015. This puts a lot of stress on social cohesion.
The overall objective was to mitigate instability and conflict linked to displacement in the Burundian-Tanzanian cross-border areas, improve protection and support to displaced persons, and enhence the resilience of host communities, contributing to socio-economic revitalization and peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region. The project included three components: 1) Establishing Humanitarian Border Management mechanisms on both sides of the border through direct support and training of immigration officers from Burundi and Tanzania, 2) Strengthening the resilience capacities of displaced persons and host communities via productive schemes (cash for work, community rehabilitation, agriculture cooperatives creation) as well as venues for interaction and communication, 3) Supporting legal assistance and community-based conflict resolution. The project was financed by IOM, UNHCR and UNDP. Further key stakeholders involved include the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes, Regional UN Sustainable Development Group for East and Southern Africa, the UN Resident Coordinators for Burundi and Tanzania, the co-champions of the UN Great Lakes Regional Strategic Framework and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
The instability at the tanzanian-Burundi border has been reduced, and the rights of stranded, vulnerable migrants, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers are better protected by immigration officials and other relevant authorities. Furthermore, the resilience capacities of displaced persons and host communities are strengthened. Additionally, refugee and returnee populations and members of their respective host communities, supported by alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, engage in peaceful ways to resolve conficts and address grievances.