Rwanda on Monday, August 25, received 533 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first repatriation under a new agreement between Kigali, Kinshasa, and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
The Ministry of Emergency Management said the returnees, mostly women and children, were taken to a transit centre in Rusizi district before being prepared for reintegration into communities. The group had been living in a temporary camp in Goma, eastern DRC, an area currently under the control of M23 rebels.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe welcomed the development, saying many of the refugees had been “held hostages by the FDLR genocidal force in eastern DRC.” The repatriation follows diplomatic progress, including a Washington-brokered peace deal between Kinshasa and Kigali and a declaration of principles signed in Doha last month between the Congolese government and M23 rebels. Authorities in both countries, alongside UNHCR, have pledged to ensure the safe and voluntary return of refugees as part of broader efforts to restore stability in the region.