Repatriation of Congolese refugees in Tanzania under way again

Refugees in Tanzania started returning home again to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, after a one-month break because of tensions over the elections, the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, said.

"Despite the continued desire to return to their country, some Congolese refugees in Tanzania say they prefer to await the evolution of the electoral process before taking their decision to return," the agency said on Wednesday in a statement.

Fighting in Kinshasa on 20 August, following the announcement of preliminary results of the presidential elections, has slowed the return of refugees, the agency said.

"However, a ferry crossed Lake Tanganyika with 451 refugees and arrived in Congo's port town of Baraka," Jens Hesemann, external relations Officer of UNHCR, said on Wednesday.

With Wednesday's repatriation, 21,787 refugees have returned to the DRC in 2006, 13,607 of whom have returned to South Kivu Province and 7,312 to Equateur Province.

Hesemann said there were still 150,000 Congolese left in Tanzania as of 30 June, as well as 60,000 in Zambia and 49,000 in the Republic of Congo.

When returnees arrive in Baraka they are transferred to a transit centre, where the UN supplies them with food seeds and tools as well as a return package, which includes blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheets and jerry cans.

"They also get rooms and a hot meal there before being transported to their villages," Hesemann said.

"Some go by truck, others by car and sometimes we provide bicycles if the roads are not passable.

"Once they get to their villages UNHCR and NGOs also assist them with community-based projects," he added.

Another ferry is due in Baraka on Friday with about 500 returnees.

dh/mw