Hundreds of Rwandans who fled during the 1994 genocide have returned home from eastern Congo, the UN refugee agency said Saturday, as violence escalates in the region.
The UNHCR said 360 refugees — mostly women and children — were repatriated in buses provided by Rwandan authorities. Aid workers from Save the Children and local officials helped oversee the transfer. The group is part of a larger plan to return 2,000 Rwandan nationals.
“We are happy to welcome our compatriots. They are a valuable workforce for the country’s development,” said Prosper Mulindwa, the mayor of Rubavu, at a border ceremony.
The returnees are being taken to a transit center where they will receive support and reintegration assistance.
Many fled Rwanda in 1994 during the genocide, when extremist Hutu forces killed up to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Although most returned in the late 1990s, thousands remained in Congo. Some later joined armed groups that continue to destabilize eastern Congo.
Recent advances by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group — reportedly supported by 4,000 Rwandan troops, according to UN experts — have intensified the conflict and deepened the humanitarian crisis.
The repatriation is part of a longstanding agreement between Rwanda, Congo and the UNHCR. Rwandan officials say more than 101,000 refugees have returned since the pact was signed, including over 1,500 so far this year.
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