Government wants genocide orphans back

The Rwandan government has appealed for international help to secure the return of an estimated 30,000 children who were flown out of the country during the 1994 genocide. Some of the children taken by charity organisations have since been adopted in European countries such as Italy, Belgium and France, as well as neighbouring African countries. “The issue of children that left the country during the bad days of the 1994 genocide needs to be sorted out,” the minister of state for social affairs, Odette Nyiramirimo, told IRIN.

“These children were adopted in foreign countries under unclear circumstances. Some of them have parents who want to know their whereabouts. In case of adoption, the laws of this country demand that the parents and government be involved.” The issue of children who left the country during the genocide was discussed at the opening of a five-day conference on children’s rights in Rwanda on Monday. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross earlier this month reunited 27 children with their families after six years of exile in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.