It is located in the Kasulu District of the Kigoma Region in western Tanzania.

[1] Established in 1972 to provide refuge for Burundian citizens escaping mass extermination by the Burundi government against its Hutu citizens during Burundian Civil War, is one of the oldest and largest refugee camps in Africa.

[6] Katumba refugee settlement in Tanzania, With a population of over 66,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom have been recognized as Tanzanian citizens in recent years, has become a significant humanitarian endeavor.

Since 1974, a total of 84,000 refugees have been resettled in twenty-nine villages within the Katumba settlement, near Mpanda.

There is also a cholera treatment center has been established in response to a waterborne disease outbreak in the camp.