Burundian refugees in Tanzania face new pressure to go home

7/7/2020 18:52

        Burundian refugees in Tanzania say they fear being forced to return to their country now that a new president has taken power and invited them home.
        
        Hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled during the bloody political turmoil that followed former President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third term in 2015. Nkurunziza decided not to run again in May's election and died days later in what the government called a heart attack.
        
        New President Evariste Ndayishimiye is now being watched closely for any breaks with his predecessor, whose rule slid into repression in its final years. At his swearing-in, Ndayishimiye declared that "Burundians should feel free to speak out. Burundians should be able to listen to each other, but outsiders should not dictate what to do."
        
        He invited all those in exile to return and build a new nation.