18 'Bangladeshis' held in Burundi for trespassing

At least 18 Bangladeshi nationals have been detained in Burundi on charges of trespassing, BBC Bangla reported yesterday.

Local police of the African country arrested them at a house where they had been staying together. Thirty-one forged passports were also recovered from them, the report said.

A reporter of BBC's Africa service said the arrest of illegal migrants in Burundi was common. But such migrants mainly go there from the neighbouring countries.

The arrest of so many “Bangladeshis” has surprised the Burundi police, he said, adding that they were being interrogated.

Contacted, Lutfor Rahman, director general (consular service) at the Bangladesh foreign ministry, told The Daily Star that the detainees could be victims of human trafficking.

“As there is no [Bangladeshi] mission [in Burundi], we have to deal with the matter after talking to our mission in any of its neighbouring countries,” he said.

Burundi is bordered by Tanzania to the east and south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Rwanda to the north.

Burundi, one of the world's poorest nations, is struggling to emerge from a 12-year, ethnic-based civil war. Recently, the country has been facing clashes by different groups.