Congolese and Rwandan refugees: the thorny issue tackled during a tripartite meeting
During the 103rd meeting of the Council of Ministers held on July 7, 2023 at the Cité de l’Union Africaine, the issue of Congolese and Rwandan refugees was discussed. The VPM, Minister of Interior, Security and Customary Affairs, Peter Kazadi, presented the report of the last tripartite held in Nairobi, Kenya, at the end of June.
According to the report of the meeting read by the government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, it was decided to reactivate the commitments and structures contained in the 2010 tripartite agreements, as well as to draw up a roadmap in this regard. It will also be a question of relaunching the process of voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees living in Rwanda and Rwandan refugees living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the guiding principles and modalities established in the 2010 tripartite agreements.
This issue of Congolese and Rwandan refugees remains a major issue in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda accuses the DRC of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to destabilize power in Kigali. For their part, the Congolese authorities are highlighting their desire to find a peaceful and lasting resolution to this problem.
President Félix Tshisekedi has already expressed his desire to hold a DRC-HCR-Rwanda tripartite meeting to facilitate the repatriation of refugees. It also wishes to involve the customary notables of the communities concerned to achieve genuine and lasting reconciliation between them.
In addition, the National Assembly plans to soon adopt a resolution aimed at regulating the process of repatriation of Congolese refugees present in Rwanda. This initiative is part of a desire to implement reforms to improve the situation of refugees and promote their return to their country of origin.
The challenge of the tripartite meeting and the planned actions is therefore to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution for the issue of Congolese and Rwandan refugees. It is essential to find concrete measures to promote their return, while guaranteeing their safety and promoting reconciliation between the different communities affected by this problem.
In conclusion, this tripartite meeting aims to reactivate existing agreements and put in place a roadmap for the repatriation of Congolese and Rwandan refugees. It is crucial to find solutions in order to solve this problem which has a major impact on the stability of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Collaboration between the different actors, both nationally and internationally, is essential to reach a lasting resolution favorable to all parties involved