Rwanda welcomed 274 nationals returning from eastern DR Congo on, including people reunited with relatives after years apart and others preparing to rebuild their lives in their home country.
The 69 families arrived through the Rusizi 1 border crossing and Rubavu on November 12, with assistance from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Of the returnees, 158 people from 41 families had lived in North Kivu, while 116 people from 28 families came from South Kivu.
“I had come back alone and left all three of my children in Congo, so I sent for them,” said Chantal, a mother who returned to Rwanda six years earlier and went to welcome her children on Thursday.
She said that when she first came home, she was received well and given assistance. The support included one year of health insurance, after which she began paying for her own coverage.
Her children’s arrival gave the family an opportunity to live together again. Chantal said her priority was getting them into school, explaining that her eldest daughter had stopped studying in Congo because of difficult living conditions.
She also described how warnings about life in Rwanda had influenced her expectations before returning. Once home, she found the situation different from what she had been told and began working to support herself.
Another returnee, Alfred Niyitegeka, 52, said he had lived in DR Congo since 1996. Repeated fighting had made returning difficult, and he eventually travelled to Rwanda without his wife and children.
“I wanted to return, but I could not because of the wars,” he said, describing the insecurity that had kept his family apart.
The returnees were received by local officials, and health checks were conducted at the border to identify anyone needing medical attention.
Fred Rwiririza, who was serving as acting head of Rusizi District, said false information about security in Rwanda had discouraged some nationals from making the journey home.
He explained that some returnees had been led to believe conditions in Rwanda were unsafe. He encouraged families who had returned to contact relatives still living in Congo and tell them about their experiences.
Rwiririza also addressed the number of women and children among those arriving. He said some men remained in forest areas with armed groups, although the circumstances of individual families varied.
The FDLR, an armed group operating in eastern DR Congo, has been accused by Rwandan authorities of intimidating people and discouraging their return. The accounts available from Thursday’s arrivals do not establish that every returnee was personally detained by the group.
Their arrival is part of an ongoing repatriation process supported by Rwanda, DR Congo and UNHCR. In June, the three parties renewed their commitment to helping refugees return voluntarily, safely and with dignity.
That cooperation also covers reintegration, including access to education, healthcare, documentation and opportunities to earn a living.
For Chantal, the most immediate change is that her three children are home. She now hopes to see them return to school and build their future together in Rwanda.