NEW ISSUES IN REFUGEE RESEARCH Research Paper No. 255 Two steps forward, one step back: understanding the shifting politics of refugee policy in Tanzania James Milner Associate Professor Department of Political Science, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada E-mail:
[email protected] July 2013 Policy Development and Evaluation Service Policy Development and Evaluation Service United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees CP 2500, 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland E-mail:
[email protected] Web Site: www.unhcr.org These papers provide a means for UNHCR staff, consultants, interns and associates, as well as external researchers, to publish the preliminary results of their research on refugee-related issues. The papers do not represent the official views of UNHCR. They are also available online under ‘publications’ at <www.unhcr.org>. ISSN 1020-7473 Introduction1 In December 2007, the Government of Tanzania announced its willingness to offer naturalization as part of a comprehensive solution for Burundian refugees who had been in Tanzania since 1972. This policy announcement was a surprise to many observers of refugee issues in Tanzania, especially in light of Tanzania’s restrictive approach to asylum since the 1990s, subsequently formalized in Tanzania’s 2003 National Refugee Policy. By June 2010, 162,156 applications for naturalization had been approved.2 Some three years later, however, the vast majority of applicants had not yet received their citizenship papers, leading some observers to believe that the process of naturalization had stalled or worse. In fact, in September 2012, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Pereira Silima, suggested that the decision to grant citizenship to Burundian refugees may be reversed.3 Given the state of the naturalization process, and the increased reluctance demonstrated by a number of key actors, the International Refugee Rights Initiative recently concluded that “the whole undertaking appears to be in jeopardy.”4 The offer of naturalization by the Government of Tanzania is to be commended.