At least 3,752 Rwandan refugees have voluntarily returned home from the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of 2026, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. The latest repatriation involved 366 refugees, including 304 from Goma, 32 from Bukavu and 30 from Kamanyola.
The DRC, Rwanda and the UNHCR aim to facilitate 10,000 returns by the end of 2026. However, about 194,500 Rwandan refugees and asylum seekers remain registered in the DRC, with 99 per cent living in the country’s east.
The civilian repatriations were separate from the transfer of 51 former Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda combatants and 69 relatives on September 8, 2026. The group was transported with MONUSCO’s assistance to Rwanda’s Mutobo demobilisation centre.
While the UNHCR described the refugee returns as voluntary, safe and dignified, some groups have called for independent verification of the circumstances under which people in AFC/M23-controlled territories were identified and repatriated.
Authorities are also working to implement a protocol for disarming FDLR fighters. The process is expected to involve establishing transit and cantonment sites, identifying combatants and their families, and repatriating them to Rwanda or relocating them to third countries.