Rwandan refugees living in selected camps in Western Uganda who fail to meet the July 31 repatriation deadline set by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees will have to look for other means of getting back home.

This is because the United Nation will withdraw support for those who remain in the camps in August, according to the Tripartite Agreement between Uganda, Rwanda and the UNHCR.

Officials have warned that this might disrupt routines that many refugees have been following for years.

The repatriation process began in 2003, but was not taken seriously until Uganda announced recently that transportation to Rwanda will not be guaranteed for refugees who leave after the July 31 deadline.

The decision to repatriate Rwandan refugees living in Uganda was reached early this year during a meeting between Rwandan and Ugandan officials.

Reports from Uganda’s Refugee Law Project (RLP) say that only 15 per cent of the refugees have been repatriated.

Rwandan officials have already accused the UN of frustrating the process of registration of those willing to go back home to Rwanda.

However, UN officials have also said that a good number of those in Ugandan camps who left returned to Uganda, citing poverty, loss of their families and not being able to acquire land.

While those who are not willing to return to Rwanda may appeal to the UN and the Refugee Eligibility Committee based in Kampala, Uganda’s 2006 Refugee Act says that return of refugees should be voluntary.

Press reports also indicate that about 20 people flee the Nakivale camp daily ahead of the July 31 deadline.

According to Crispus Okello, the head of advocacy at RLP, “Ugandan government and the UN must clarify the voluntary nature of the repatriation and inform refugees about other alternative options if they are unwilling to return to Rwanda,” said.

At least 20,000 Rwandan refugees are reported to be living is different camps in Uganda, of whom only 3,000 have returned home.

Currently most of the refugees are in Nakivale and Nshungerezi camps in southwestern Uganda.

Rwanda Ministry of Local Government official in charge of refugees Innocent Ngango told the press in Kigali that, during his visit to several refugee camps in Uganda recently, Rwandan refugees said they wanted to be repatriated in the fastest time possible but have been frustrated by UN officials.

A Rwanda donors’ report, “The Joint Governance Assessment,” says that the country meets its international obligations towards refugees and asylum seekers and co-operates fully with UNHCR.

“However, there are concerns that the process of refugee registration is unduly time consuming and delays in access to assistance and the present lack of identity cards for refugees have restricted freedom of movement,” says the report.

There are concerns that the return of refugees from neighbouring countries is mounting pressure on an already overpopulated country, further degrading the environment.

There are already around 53,000 refugees living in Rwanda, mainly originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo.