GOMA, Congo — A whole lot of Rwandan refugees who have been residing in jap Congo for the reason that 1994 genocide in Rwanda have been repatriated on Saturday, the U.N. refugee company mentioned, after Rwandan-backed rebels seized key elements of the area.
A lot of the refugees have been ladies and kids, and 360 of them crossed the border in buses offered by Rwandan authorities and have been escorted by the U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Refugees, and support group Save the Youngsters, native authorities mentioned. The purpose is to repatriate 2,000 individuals, UNHCR mentioned.
“We’re glad to welcome our compatriots. They’re a worthwhile workforce for the nation’s improvement,” mentioned Prosper Mulindwa, the Rwandan mayor of Rubavu, throughout a quick ceremony on the border.
The returnees have been transported to a transit middle the place they are going to obtain emergency help and help for reintegration.
They have been among the many tons of of hundreds of Hutus who fled Rwanda after the state-sponsored 1994 genocide that left as much as 1,000,000 minority Tutsis and average Hutus useless. Most had returned when Tutsi-led Rwandan troops first invaded Congo in 1996. However Rwandan authorities mentioned hundreds of Hutu militiamen and ex-soldiers had stayed and joined Congo’s military to destabilize Rwanda.
For many years, mineral-rich jap Congo has been ripped aside by violence from authorities forces and completely different armed teams, together with the Rwanda-backed M23, whose latest resurgence has escalated the battle and worsened an already acute humanitarian disaster.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, in accordance with U.N. consultants.
Among the many Rwandan returnees, private testimonies highlighted journeys marked by exile and a deep connection to a homeland some have by no means identified.
Nyirakajumba Twizere was born in 1996 in Congo and had by no means seen Rwanda.
“I by no means thought this present day would come,” he mentioned. “I’m lastly going again to the land of my ancestors.”
The repatriation relies on a tripartite settlement between Rwanda, Congo and UNHCR that has been in place for greater than a decade. In line with Rwandan authorities, greater than 101,000 refugees have already been repatriated, together with 1,500 for the reason that starting of 2025.
