The "Old Settlements" is a term used to refer to three refugee settlements located in Urambo District of Tabora Region and Mpanda District of Rukwa Region: Ulyankulu, Katumba, and Mishamo. Formed by the UNHCR and Government of Tanzania between 1972 and 1978, the settlements were established in the wake of the genocidal war that broke out in Burundi in the early 1970s, and they soon became home to the tens of thousands of refugees who were forced across the border by the violence and instability that was sweeping through their native country. They also soon became major project sites for TCRS and other organizations, who were quick to respond to the manifest need for relief services.

More than three decades later, the settlements have developed into thriving communities - so much so that all donor support was withdrawn in the mid-1980s as it became apparent to the UNHCR and its implementing partners that the refugees in the settlements had become self-sufficient. Consequently, when the peaceful, democratic elections held in Burundi in 2005 prompted those agencies to return their attention to the settlements, they were faced with a curious state of affairs. On the one hand, the residents of Ulyankulu, Katumba, and Mishamo had now been living in the settlements for more than 35 years. Many had married and raised families with Tanzanian nationals; thousands of children had been educated under the Tanzanian curriculum; countless others had never even set foot in Burundi - they were born and raised in the settlements. On the other hand, the fact remained that in the eyes of the Tanzanian government and the international community, the Old Settlements constituted one of the world's most protracted refugee situations.

A unique solution was needed for the unusual situation, and in 2007, the Tripartite Commission on Burundian Refugees (comprised of the UNHCR and the Governments of Burundi and Tanzania) announced that the refugees residing in the Old Settlements would be given the option of either returning to Burundi (voluntary repatriation) or applying for Tanzanian citizenship (naturalization). Due to TCRS's past involvement in the Old Settlements and its proven record of reliable service, officials from the Government and the UNHCR asked TCRS to assist with coordinating the steps that would be necessary to smoothly implement the three pillars of this Tanzania Comprehensive Durable Strategy (TANCOSS): repatriation, naturalization, and local integration.

Refugees from the Old Settlements wait in line before boarding their repatriation convoys

TCRS completed the first phase of the TANCOSS process in 2007, registering the 211,879 individuals who were living in the settlements' 58 villages. Following this registration exercise, the focus has shifted to repatriation and naturalization. Some 43,812 refugees have elected to repatriate, and in 2008 TCRS facilitated the transport of more than half those individuals along with their personal effects and livestock. The remaining 80% of the population has opted to apply for naturalization, so TCRS has been working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UNHCR to assist this group with their naturalization applications.