Hundreds of Rwandans who fled to Congo after the 1994 genocide return in UN repatriation

GOMA Congo AP Hundreds of Rwandan refugees who were living in eastern Congo since the genocide in Rwanda were repatriated on Saturday the U N refugee agency reported after Rwandan-backed rebels seized key parts of the region The greater part of the refugees were women and children and of them crossed the demarcation in buses provided by Rwandan government and were escorted by the U N High Commissioner for Refugees and aid group Save the Children local personnel mentioned The goal is to repatriate people UNHCR commented We are happy to welcome our compatriots They are a valuable workforce for the country s growth commented Prosper Mulindwa the Rwandan mayor of Rubavu during a brief ceremony at the perimeter The returnees were transported to a transit center where they will receive crisis assistance and sponsorship for reintegration They were among the hundreds of thousands of Hutus who fled Rwanda after the state-sponsored genocide that left up to a million minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead Majority of had returned when Tutsi-led Rwandan troops first invaded Congo in But Rwandan agents reported thousands of Hutu militiamen and ex-soldiers had stayed and joined Congo s army to destabilize Rwanda For decades mineral-rich eastern Congo has been ripped apart by violence from administration forces and different armed groups including the Rwanda-backed M whose latest resurgence has escalated the conflict and worsened an already acute humanitarian emergency The rebels are supported by about troops from neighboring Rwanda according to U N experts Among the Rwandan returnees personal testimonies highlighted journeys marked by exile and a deep connection to a homeland several have never known Nyirakajumba Twizere was born in in Congo and had never seen Rwanda I never thought this day would come he explained I m ultimately going back to the land of my ancestors The repatriation is based on a tripartite agreement between Rwanda Congo and UNHCR that has been in place for more than a decade According to Rwandan agents more than refugees have already been repatriated including since the beginning of Source