The minister made the comments via X account on August 1, 2026, in response to a MONUSCO statement issued on July 29 after Rwanda returned 39 Congolese nationals to the DRC.
The individuals had been repatriated to Rwanda as former FDLR combatants, but subsequent verification established that they were Congolese civilians with no ties to the armed group.
In its statement, MONUSCO rejected suggestions that it had been negligent, stressing that every repatriation is preceded by a comprehensive verification process to confirm that those concerned qualify for return to Rwanda.
However, Amb. Nduhungirehe said the UN mission cannot deny the outcome of the verification carried out after the repatriations.
'What MONUSCO cannot distance itself from, however, is the fact that since October last year, 81 people repatriated by MONUSCO as former FDLR combatants were later found to be Congolese civilians, born to Congolese parents, with no Rwandan origin and no history of involvement in armed groups.'
The minister further explained that the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM), a regional mechanism responsible for verifying security-related matters in the Great Lakes region, was invited to independently examine the issue.
According to Amb. Nduhungirehe, interviews conducted during the verification process showed that many of those repatriated had falsely claimed to be former FDLR members in order to benefit from Rwanda's demobilization and reintegration programme.
'The Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) was even invited to verify this information. During interviews, 69 of these individuals admitted regretting having agreed to falsely present themselves as former FDLR combatants after being promised the benefits offered by the Mutobo Demobilization Centre to repatriated ex-combatants.'
Amb. Nduhungirehe also called on MONUSCO to uphold the highest standards in implementing its disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme.
'In conclusion, I would like to stress that throughout this process of disarming and demobilizing former combatants, professionalism, diligence, and integrity on the part of MONUSCO's DDR personnel must remain fundamental guiding principles.'
