More than 1,000 ‘Arabs’ in Burundi may become stateless
Published: 9/Nov/2017
Source: Anadolu Agency (Turkey)
Oman refuses to recognize them while the Arab-origin people do not want Burundian nationality, according to official
BUJUMBURA, Burundi
Over 1,000 Arab-origin people living in Burundi may soon become stateless, head of the National Office for Refugee Protection and the Stateless said on Thursday.
Despite living in the country for decades the state does not recognize them as citizens and commonly they are referred to as Arabs.
They are said to be descendants of goods traders or former slave traders who arrived from Asia in the late nineteenth century.
They claim to be from Oman and mostly live in Burundi’s Rumonge province, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from capital Bujumbura on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
“They have lived in Burundi for several decades and call themselves Omanis, but the country does not want to welcome them,” Jean Bosco Nduwimana told Burundian state broadcaster, Rtnb.
Read further: http://aa.com.tr/en/africa/more-than-1-000-arabs-in-burundi-may-become-stateless/961170