Rwanda: Rwanda Welcomes 529 Returnees From DR Congo

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a report by The New Times of 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 arrivals raise the number of Rwandans returned from DR Congo to more than 2,800 since January, according to the report.

The New Times said the wider programme is intended to help about 10,000 people return this year. It follows a high-level meeting in Addis Ababa in June last year involving Rwanda, DR Congo and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The latest group included 136 families, or 421 people, who entered through the Grande Barrière border post in Rubavu District, and 32 families, or 108 people, who crossed through Rusizi District.

Returnees cited insecurity in eastern DR Congo and confidence in conditions in Rwanda as reasons for coming back, according to accounts included in the report. Rubavu Mayor Prosper Mulindwa told journalists at the border that authorities would assess households individually to identify support needed for reintegration.

The report said the returnees were to be taken to Nyarushishi Transit Centre in Rusizi District for registration and documentation before rejoining families in their home districts. The movement comes against the broader backdrop of long-running displacement linked to instability in eastern DR Congo, while the current exercise is being presented by Rwandan authorities and partners as voluntary repatriation.