After decades of living in precarious conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 314 Rwandan refugees, including men, women, and children, have returned to their homeland, facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and welcomed by Rwanda’s Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) and Rubavu District authorities.
This group marks the latest in a surge of returns, with more than 4,000 Rwandans repatriated from the DRC since January 2025, including over 1,700 since May amid the ongoing conflict that has displaced thousands more.
Overall, repatriations since 1994 exceed 3.5 million, with many recent returnees escaping the grip of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu militia linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.
Among them are individuals like Ezra, 49, and another returnee, 56, whose stories highlight the challenges of displacement, including FDLR’s use of civilians as human shields and forced laborers.
Ezra, originally from Gisenyi Prefecture, Kayove Commune, fled Rwanda at 18 during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He spent 31 years in the DRC, moving from Kisangani to Mugunga, misled by groups like the FDLR and Wazalendo.
“They told us if we returned to Rwanda, we’d be beaten, imprisoned, or worse,” Ezra recounted. “We were fed lies that Rwanda had no peace, that genocide perpetrators were punished alongside innocents.”
These narratives, spread by FDLR, kept him and others in the jungles, fearing return, while the group exploited refugees for labor in charcoal trading, cannabis farming, and agriculture, and recruited children as young as 14.
A turning point came when his uncle, a former soldier who had returned to Rwanda, contacted him via WhatsApp, assuring him of safety and urging, “Come back to our peaceful Rwanda and rebuild.” Ezra, now with his family, took the leap, arriving in Rubavu with renewed hope.
Another returnee, who fled to Ruhengeri Prefecture at 25, spent 31 years in the DRC, including six months in Nyiragongo’s Kibati area.
“FDLR told us we’d take Rwanda by force one day,” he said, describing how fear and misinformation kept them isolated, likening their lives to “cattle” under manipulation.
He avoided FDLR and Wazalendo by blending into local communities, but recent M23 advances in Kibati prompted his return. “I no longer saw FDLR; they were driven out,” he noted, emboldened to return after hearing of Rwanda’s stability.
Many returnees, including women and children like those in a May convoy of 642 from Masisi and Nyiragongo, were relatives of FDLR fighters—wives and offsprings of genocide perpetrators—who felt trapped, unable to abandon family despite the men’s status as wanted criminals.
Others had settled into makeshift lives in FDLR-controlled areas, hidden among an estimated 20,000 civilians used as shields, until offensives freed them.
Upon arrival, the returnees were warmly received by Rubavu’s Mayor, Prosper Mulindwa, who emphasized Rwanda’s commitment to reintegrating its citizens.
“We welcome you home,” the Mayor declared. “You made the right choice. Rwanda is no longer a place of exile; it’s a secure nation with opportunities for all.”
The group, transported by UNHCR, was temporarily hosted at the Nyarushishi transit camp in Rusizi District, where they received meals and rest.
The National Identification Agency (NIDA) began issuing identity documents, and MINEMA is overseeing their reintegration into communities.
Returnees are supported with financial aid—$188 for adults and $113 for children—along with three months of food supplies and a year of Mutuelle de Santé coverage to ease their transition.
The Mayor highlighted Rwanda’s transformation: “You’ll see a clean, developed Rwanda with roads, cars, and modern houses, unlike the past you left.”
He urged returnees to spread the word to those still in the DRC’s forests, emphasizing that Rwanda’s security, rooted in its people, is unshakable.
“Some who returned earlier are thriving—attending school, running businesses, farming, or living in homes they rebuilt,” he said, encouraging others to follow.
Ezra, a former fisherman known as Maniraguha, plans to return to the DRC briefly to bring back relatives, including his late brother’s children.
“I’ll tell them Rwanda is peaceful; come home,” he vowed, eager to contribute to Rwanda’s development and respect its laws. The Mayor called on remaining refugees to shed the “refugee” label, noting that Rwanda’s stability and progress are evident.
“Visit those who returned; their lives testify to Rwanda’s transformation,” he added, reinforcing the nation’s resolve to support its returning citizens.
