ABSTRACT
The influx of close to one million refugees into North-Western Tanzania constituted a threat to the ecosystem, the infrastructure, the culture, and above all to security. The Tanzanian government and most citizens wanted the refugees out, but few refugees were willing to voluntarily repatriate; however at the end of 1996, services in the camps were withdrawn and refugees were given no choice. This was done because Kagera region was subjected to stresses that threatened both regional and national security and could have forestalled both large and small-scale development initiatives. Tanzania faced a very serious dilemma; there was no way to sustainably settle so many refugees so the government took the risk that refoulement would not lead to either international censure or a cross border guerilla war.
