International news was marked by an important announcement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) concerning Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo and those from the DRC in Rwanda. According to Raouf Mazou, Deputy High Commissioner of the UNHCR, refugees from the two neighboring countries will now be able to freely express their desire to be repatriated to their respective countries.
Repatriation, he specifies, must be “voluntary” and it concerns only those who show the will to return. The Congolese and Rwandan authorities had already reached an agreement on this issue during a meeting on May 15 in Geneva. They had affirmed their desire to ensure that “those who want to return voluntarily in safety and dignity to their country (thus the Rwandans currently in the DRC and the Congolese currently in Rwanda) can do so”.
According to UNHCR estimates, there are currently around 80,000 Congolese in Rwanda and 200,000 Rwandans in the DRC. However, it is difficult to obtain precise figures because they remain “approximate”, specifies Raouf Mazou.
A technical meeting will be scheduled soon to discuss modalities to help refugees wishing to return to their respective countries. The refugee issue has been one of the factors in the security crisis between the DRC and Rwanda for decades.
This announcement gives hope of finding a peaceful solution to the situation affecting Rwandan refugees in the DRC and Congolese in Rwanda. The voluntary and safe return of these refugees is a major step towards peace and the integration of the populations concerned in their respective countries of origin.