UN warns Tanzania not to reject people fleeing Mozambique

More than 1,000 people fleeing an attack on Palma were not allowed to cross into Tanzania to seek asylum, the UN says.

United Nations teams have received “worrying” reports that Tanzania has rejected over 1,000 people seeking refuge from an attack on a town in northern Mozambique by ISIL-affiliated fighters, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said. The March 24 attack on the town of Palma, adjacent to gas developments worth $60bn, sent the town’s residents scattering in all directions, with some fleeing into dense forest while others escaped by boat. The authorities say dozens have been killed, while thousands have fled the town of some 75,000 people.