High-level capacity building workshop on irregular migration in Africa

From November 13 to 14, 2024, the Member States of the African Union organized a high-level capacity-building workshop on irregular migration in Africa, held in Dar-Es-Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. The Government of the Republic of Burundi has appointed Mr. Pascal Habarugira, Advisor to the Directorate of Employment Promotion for Migrants in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, to take part in the workshop.

This capacity-building workshop is based on the changing migration landscape and the growing threats associated with irregular migration, notably human trafficking and migrant smuggling. These phenomena are facilitated by the expansion of transnational criminal networks, which use technological advances and social networks to evade justice and existing laws.

Faced with these complex challenges, African states, in collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the member states of the African Union (AU), set up policies and measures to fight transnational organized crime. In 2021, new policies to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling were adopted, providing a harmonized framework for developing and implementing these measures at regional and national levels. The Continental Operations Center (COC) was also created to coordinate these efforts across the continent.

The objectives of this workshop were to inform member states, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and stakeholders on new policies to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Africa, introduce the new Continental Operations Center (COC) and set up networks to promote better collaboration, involved in irregular migration management and capacity building.

According to data from the October 2022 displacement monitoring matrix of the International Organization for Migration, Burundi has more than 75,000 internally displaced people, of whom 55% are women and 56% are children. In June 2024, a total of 2066 Burundian refugees from 693 households were voluntarily repatriated, mainly from Tanzania to their country of origin, Burundi.

Burundi has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. There are many reasons for migration, including voluntary or forced, temporary or long-term.

In his concluding remarks, Mister Pascal Habarugira reaffirmed the commitment of Burundi to working hand in hand with the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities and its international partners to fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling in a decisive and coordinated manner.