DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Border regions in Tanzania and Burundi have agreed to exchange criminals to face prosecution in their native countries, Tanzania's Kigoma Regional Commissioner Emmanuel Maganga, said on Friday.
The exchange of criminals was one of the resolutions reached at the end of a one-day good neighbourliness meeting between defence and security committees from Kigoma region in Tanzania and Makamba, Cankuzo, Rutana, Rumonge and Ruyigi regions in Burundi held on July 29 in Makamba region.
Maganga told Xinhua in a telephone interview that the six border regions also agreed to exchange security intelligence dossiers from local government authorities to the highest authorities.
"Indeed, the meeting was very successful as both sides exchanged views in a very candid atmosphere," said Maganga who led Kigoma region's defence and security committee delegation to the meeting.
Maganga added that the meeting also agreed to conduct joint operations aimed at controlling criminal acts along the border between the two countries.
"We also agreed to reinforce the holding of security meetings at grassroots level and issuance of accurate reports on movements of criminals from both countries along the border," said Maganga.
These measures were agreed between the border regions against the backdrop of a tidal wave of crime incidents in Kigoma region, including armed banditry, reportedly engineered by armed Burundi refugees.
Maganga said the meeting also proposed that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with relevant authorities in Tanzania and Burundi should hasten the voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees currently sheltered in Tanzania.
The proposal followed recent appeals by President John Magufuli and his Burundian counterpart Pierre Mkurunziza to the Burundian refugees to return home and help build the tiny central African country.
Last week, Maganga said 5,327 Burundian refugees staying in camps in western Tanzania have volunteered to return home following the recent appeal by President Magufuli to them to return home and help build their country.
Maganga said: "The Burundian refugees are now volunteering in large numbers to return home following the presidential appeal."
He said 5,327 Burundian refugees from Nduta, Nyarugusu and Mtendeli refugee camps have volunteered to go home, adding that 4,935 of these were from Nduta, 364 from Nyarugusu and 28 from Mtendeli.
Currently, he said, Nduta sheltered 124,914 Burundian refugees, Nyarugusu 75,761 refugees and Mtendeli 49,839 refugees.
Maganga said the voluntary repatriation was continuous but explained that the Kigoma regional authorities were awaiting a tripartite meeting between Tanzania, Burundi and the UN refugees agency to deliberate on the voluntary return of the refugees.
In June this year, the UN refugee agency said Tanzania remained the largest host of Burundian refugees.
Tanzania is currently home to more than 315,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are hosted in three refugee camps of Nyarugusu, Nduta, and Mtendeli, which face severe pressure.
