Bukoba — MORE than 6,809 illegal immigrants
have been apprehended in Kagera, Kigoma and Geita regions in the ongoing
exercise to repatriate them to their home countries.
Head of the operation to send illegal aliens to their respective
countries, Mr Simon Sirro said since the campaign began on September 6,
this year, apart from the aliens they had also managed to confiscate 22
fire arms and 367 rounds of ammunition in the regions.
Speaking to journalists recently, Sirro said the operation was in
fulfillment of President Jakaya Kikwete's directive to apprehend all
illegal immigrants in order to curtail, among others, increasing armed
robbery incidents, the majority of which were reportedly carried out by
illegal immigrants.
He said in the first phase of the operation, which ends on September
20, those nabbed were 1,446 Rwandans, 4,229 Burundians, 647 Ugandans,
443 Congolese, 42 Somalis, while one each were from Yemen and India.
He added that 2,377 illegal immigrants had already deported to their
home countries following court orders while 396 were set free after
thorough investigation into their nationality.
He added that 1866 went back home countries on their own will while 2170 were still being questioned at various centres.
He said during the operation 32 armed robbery suspects were arrested,
all of them being Tanzanians, as well as six hand grenades confiscated,
including four sub-machine guns, one shotgun, a riffle, 265 SMG rounds
of ammunition and a sub-automatic rifle.
