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BURUNDI: Refugees accuse army of blocking escape to Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, 20 September (IRIN) - The Burundian army is reportedly preventing civilians who are fleeing fighting between rebels and government forces from crossing the border into Tanzania, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, told IRIN on Friday.

Ivana Unluova said new arrivals in Tanzania had told UNHCR that the army was "actively stopping" civilians from crossing the border especially in Kibuye, central Burundi, from where large numbers were attempting to flee. "As a result, they are camping in the bush and just waiting for their chance to cross," she said.

Some of the refugees had come from Gitega where the massacre of over 170 civilians (according to government figures) took place on 9 September. While the refugees said they had fled attacks by the army, it was unclear whether the new arrivals had witnessed the killings, Unluova added.

Refugee camps in Kibondo, western Tanzania, have received 997 refugees since the beginning of the month. Although these figures were much higher than in recent months, UNHCR did not consider the situation to be "dramatic", Unluova said. In the past numbers had reached 3,500 a month and there were still more refugees being repatriated than were fleeing to Tanzania, she added.

Humanitarian agencies have warned, however, that if the rate of arrivals continues at 150 a day, the recent influx would amount to a "considerable number".

[ENDS]

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