Migration in Burundi: History, Current Trends and Future - MGSoG ...

efforts aimed at addressing the various dimensions of global mobility. Having
appropriate migration policies and intuitional frameworks would have a significant
impact on the current reconstruction and democratization processes, which requires
more input from development partners as well as Burundians abroad. Moreover, because
many Burundians in the Netherlands are largely political refugees, addressing the push
factors linked to local politics within the framework of the on-going reconciliation
process could go a long way in facilitating the return of the highly skilled and experienced
Burundians who are not using those skills in the diaspora.
Return migration
In the case of Burundi, return migration is a complex and sensitive issue, especially
among individuals who displaced and had their land taken by those who remained.
Claims to family land and property in the post-conflict period poses great challenges,
which confront both would-be returnees in Europe and those from nearby camps in the
region. Some of these problems are connected to the history of marginalization and land
expropriation that dates back to the 1972, when Hutu refugees were systematically
deprived of their goods and lands in the fertile Imbo plain by the Micombero and Bagaza
regimes (International Crisis Group, 2003). Such problems are bound to arise, especially
in places where displaced Tutsis currently eke out a living on the edges of the cities and
victims of profiteers who benefited from the absence or death of the legal owners either
to seize land or to sell it at a profit barely survive (International Crisis Group, 2003).
Burundians in the diaspora are faced with these realities, but many face the more
important decision to return with empty hands. While some have been working as
professionals, those who have been on welfare or minimal support from the host country
government might not have means to acquire new property. If they have been in the
asylum process for over five years, their ability to integrate in the labour market might be
hampered by lack of experience in comparison to those who remained behind. Personal
reasons and other factors such as incentives offered through current return or circular
migration programmes therefore play a significant role as to whether Burundian diaspora
are likely to participate in the return programs.
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