The returnees were received by the government on Monday, August 25, 2025, and will be accommodated at the Nyarushishi Transit Center in Rusizi district before resuming normal life.
The repatriation follows decisions made during a high-level tripartite ministerial meeting between Rwanda, the DRC, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 24, 2025.
Most of the returnees had been staying in the temporary Goma camp after fleeing areas in eastern DRC, where they were previously held captive by the FDLR militia group.
Egide Twagirumukiza, 65, who has lived in the DRC since 1994, said the FDLR had instilled fear among residents, preventing anyone from returning.
'They really prevented us from returning! They would either kill you or detain you if you tried to go back,' he said.
The group joins over 1,100 Rwandans who returned in May 2025 with UNHCR's support. According to UNHCR, as of August 6, 2025, the temporary Goma camp still hosted 630 Rwandans awaiting return, with another 31 at various sites in Kitshanga, Karuba, and Mweso.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/more-than-500-rwandans-repatriated-from-drc
