Over 500 Rwandan refugees return from DRC amid peace process

Repatriation fulfills part of commitments made by Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and UNHCR to enable safe and voluntary return of refugees, Rwanda says. Over 500 Rwandan refugees returned to the country on Monday from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some 533 returnees, the majority of whom were women and children, were transported to a transit centre in western Rwanda’s Rusizi district before being reintegrated into communities, the Ministry of Emergency Management of Rwanda said in a statement on X. This is the first group of refugees to be repatriated under an agreement signed last month between Rwanda, DRC , and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to respect refugees’ right to voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin.