Politics and practises of refugee self-reliance in trifurcated states of north-western Tanzania

The Tanzanian government, led by President Magufuli, has implemented a series of shutdowns, which have severely constrained opportunities for livelihoods and selfreliance in refugee camps in North-Western Tanzania. These shutdowns, which flatten class and socio-economic stratification, include the closures of camp markets, a cancellation of a popular cash transfer programme, and sudden pull-out of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), a UN push to loosen restrictions for refugees. This thesis examines these shutdowns and their effects from above and below, which were purposefully designed to impel refugees to return to Burundi and Congo.