Rwanda to grant refugee status to Burundians fleeing before elections

Rwanda has decided to grant refugee status to Burundian refugees crossing to Rwanda, allegedly fleeing the eruption violence as the country prepares for parliamentary and president elections set for May and June this year.

Prima Facie refugee status, a fact presumed to be true unless it is disproved, was taken into consideration following the mass influx of refugees crossing to Rwanda.

"By Thursday, the number of Burundians refugees received in Rwanda had reached 11,000, which complicates the procedure to determine their status at individual basis," Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwandan minister of for disaster preparedness and refugee affairs told reporters on Friday.

She said that the decision was taken considering the overwhelming number of refugees who continues to flee to Rwanda whereby the daily average has gone over 800 refugees.

The decision to grant "Prima facie" refugees status to Burundians is in accordance with Article 13 of the Law relating to refugees in Rwanda and the 1951 Convention Relating to refugees where by population fleeing in mass influx are unconditionally granted refugees status.

Mukantabana said that the government has established a new camp in Mahama in Kirehe District, Eastern province to avoid the congestion in existing reception centers mainly in Bugesera and Nyanza.

"The exercise will continue until all the refugees are relocated from all existing transit centres to the new camp," she said.

According to the UNICEF statistics, 92 percent of registered Burundians originate from Kirundo province which borders Rwanda, with 60 percent being children, while 25 percent are women.

Presidential elections are scheduled for June 26 and incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza has not publicly said if he will seek a third term.

Nkurunziza, in power since 2005, is expected to run for a third term in office despite opponents' claims that a new mandate would violate the country's constitution.

Supporters of Nkurunziza claim that he is eligible for a third term, as his first term began after being elected by parliament rather than a popular vote, and so it is not included in the term limit.

The first Burundi refugees entered Rwanda in mid March; they were received and hosted by Rwandan families near the border.

Early this month Rwandan President Paul Kagame met and held discussions with his Burundian counterpart, Pierre Nkurunziza over pre-election tension and the alleged potential for violence in Burundi, security in the Great Lakes and regional cooperation in various sectors.

The two leaders met in Huye town in the Southern Province of Rwanda.