Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Rwanda

Returnees continue to arrive from DRC

    NAIROBI

    UNHCR has registered 4,750 Rwandan returnees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Gisenyi since 21 March 1999. The returnees were quoted as saying they were tired of living in hiding, that their relatives informed them the situation Rwanda was safe, and because there had been large sensitisation campaigns in Masisi and Rutshuru by authorities and clergy of the DRC and Rwanda. Local authorities are using the former
    vocational training centre in Gisenyi as a temporary transit centre, a UNHCR statement received by IRIN said. UNHCR has been requested to rehabilitate Nkamira transit facility which has larger capacity to accommodate returnees.

    The NGO, Fondation Pinganayi Aide Humanitaire (FPAH), said that there are still a number of Rwandan refugees in the forests who are coming out "little by little. "FPAH believes they want to return home because they no longer receive any assistance," UNHCR said. FPAH added that the local population in eastern DRC is itself displaced and in no position to help.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join