Rwanda: Rwanda Welcomes 529 Returnees From DR Congo

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a report from The New Times in Kigali, reported that Rwanda received 529 citizens on Wednesday, July 22, as part of a continuing voluntary repatriation process from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group’s arrival raised the number of Rwandans who have returned from DR Congo since January to more than 2,800, according to the report.

The New Times said the current programme is intended to support the return of about 10,000 people this year. It followed a high-level meeting in Addis Ababa in June last year involving Rwanda, DR Congo and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The latest group entered through two locations: 421 people from 136 families crossed at the Grande Barrière border post in Rubavu District, while 108 people from 32 families entered through Rusizi District.

The report included comments from returnees who said security concerns and perceptions about conditions in Rwanda had affected their decisions. Françoise Ufitese, who came from Goma, said visits to Gisenyi helped reassure her, while Sebutozi Ndayambaje, who had lived in Rutshuru since 1998, cited insecurity in eastern DR Congo as a reason he had stayed away.

Rubavu Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said authorities would assess each household’s needs to support reintegration. The returnees were expected to be taken to Nyarushishi Transit Centre in Rusizi District for registration and documentation before rejoining relatives in their home districts. The movement is significant because it is taking place amid long-running displacement linked to instability in eastern DR Congo and regional efforts to manage refugee returns.