Kenya Hosts Regional Conference on Durable Solutions for Burundian Refugees
Kenya is hosting a regional conference aimed at advancing durable solutions for Burundian refugees, as stakeholders seek to address one of the longest-standing displacement situations in Eastern Africa.
The conference is focused on repositioning the response to Burundian displacement within a comprehensive solutions framework aligned with the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the commitments outlined in the Global Compact on Refugees, as well as the United Nations Strategy for the Great Lakes Region.
Organisers say discussions will focus on promoting a coordinated regional approach to durable solutions for Burundian refugees. These include voluntary return, local solutions such as integration in host countries, third-country pathways and the possible consideration of cessation of refugee status in line with international protection standards.
The meeting also aims to strengthen alignment between protection-based responses and long-term development strategies in both countries of origin and host nations.
According to organisers, the conference will combine technical deliberations with high-level political engagement in order to help shape sustainable responses to the protracted displacement.
The event opened on Monday with an experts’ meeting and will be followed by a ministerial segment later in the week.
Speaking during the official opening, the Regional Bureau Director for Eastern and Southern Africa at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mamadou Dian Balde, said the agency has intensified efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of Burundian refugees.
Balde revealed that since January 2026, more than 46,000 refugees have returned to Burundi, compared with 17,779 returns recorded in 2005.
He further disclosed that UNHCR, in partnership with the Government of Burundi and other stakeholders, has launched an US$82.3 million National Response Plan aimed at supporting dignified returns, reception assistance, sustainable reintegration and social cohesion.
The conference, running from 16 to 19 March 2026, has attracted refugee commissioners and government officials from Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa.
Other participants include representatives from the European Union, United Nations agencies, the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and refugee representatives from across the region.
Jack Mwiimbu, Zambia’s Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, is expected to attend the ministerial segment of the conference.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Dickson Matembo, is being represented at the meeting by Director of Human Resources and Administration Nicolynn Nyoni, who is accompanied by Commissioner Tovine Kanenka.
