Changing priorities in refugee protection: the Rwandan repatriation from Tanzania

The Rwandan repatriation from Tanzania in December 1996 can hardly be described as voluntary. For this reason, it is notable that UNHCR, as the international body with a mandate for refugee protection, was so closely involved in planning and implementing the operation. This paper examines the reasons behind the mass expulsion of Rwandan refugees from Tanzania, and particularly the involvement of UNHCR in that process. The first section discusses the increasing influence of political and security concerns on refugee protection decisions in recent years. The second section focuses more specifically on the Tanzanian context and the decision to send the Rwandan refugees home. In addition to UNHCR, the role of other international organizations is also explored. The third section describes the skewed logic of refugee protection that emerged from the particular dynamics of the Rwandan situation. Finally, the conclusion examines the implications of this shift in priorities and questions whether the increasing contextualization of refugee protection decisions is necessarily problematic.