533 Rwandan refugees return home from DRC

A total of 533 Rwandan refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) arrived in Rwanda on Monday through the Grande Barrier border post in Rubavu District of Western Province, the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management said.

The move fulfills part of the commitments made during the tripartite high-level meeting held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on July 24 between Rwanda, the DRC, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the ministry said in a statement.

The returnees were received by the mayor of Rubavu District, who reaffirmed that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure their safe and dignified reintegration, said the statement.

The new arrivals will be temporarily accommodated at the Nyarushishi Transit Center, where further repatriation procedures will be facilitated. Since 1994, more than 3.5 million Rwandan refugees have returned home and reintegrated into the country, according to ministry data. Over the past five years, Rwanda, in collaboration with the UNHCR, has received 15,643 returnees.

UNHCR and its partners arrange logistics for returning Rwandans and operate two transit centers where returnees benefit from temporary shelter, healthcare, and basic assistance before relocating to their districts of origin. The agency works closely with the government and other UN partners to ensure sustainable support for returnees and their communities.