Rwanda, DRC refugees repatriation talks return in Nairobi
Tuesday May 16 2023
Gihembe camp which hosts Congolese refugees in northern Rwanda. FILE PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA | NMG
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to hold “constructive dialogue” in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on the repatriation of refugees in both countries.
The agreement was reached on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, between Kinshasa and Kigali, under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to the joint communiqué, the first tripartite DRC-Rwanda-UNHCR “technical meeting” will be held in Nairobi “within a month in order to define the practical modalities for the reactivation of all the commitments and structures contained in the 2010 tripartite agreements”.
Christophe Lutundula, Congolese Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Kayisire Marie Solange, Rwandan Minister of Emergency Management and Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, signed the statement.
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In the 2010 pact, the parties agreed to the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees living in Rwanda and Rwandan refugees living in DR Congo.
In the recent past, relations between the two neighbours have soured, with each accusing the other over alleged territorial violations and espionage.
The DRC has also repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing Congolese Tutsi M23 rebels, a claim Kigali denies.
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The charges have complicated the refugee issue, often leading to a feud.
The meeting, scheduled for Nairobi next month, aims to “relaunch the process of facilitating the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees in Rwanda and Rwandan refugees in the DRC”.
In Geneva, the two countries committed to “addressing the challenges related to the security of returnees, the exchange of information on living conditions in the areas of return, including sensitisation at the community level, as well as reintegration”.
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They also pledged to “continue to ensure access to asylum for people in need of international protection”.