Rwanda, UNHCR call for Rwandan refugees to repatriate

The Rwandan government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday made a fresh appeal to Rwandan refugees in various countries to repatriate ahead of next year's deadline.

At a joint press conference in Kigali, Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwanda's minister of disaster management and refugee affairs, and Saber Azam, UNHCR representative in Rwanda, said Rwandan refugees across the world will lose refugee status by December 31, 2017.

They advised them to use the last opportunity to seek help from UNHCR and the government to repatriate.

About 280,000 Rwandans are living as refugees in about 20 countries, with the majority, close to 245,000, living in the DR Congo.

The majority of them left the country as a result of the 1994 genocide, which claimed close to 1 million Rwandans, mostly the Tutsi.

Under the UN Cessation Clause, Rwandan refugees have until the end of next year to either repatriate or settle in their host countries as residents or acquire citizenship.

Those who will not have repatriated then will be required to re-apply for new refugee status.

"The situation in Rwanda at the moment is perfect for refugees to come back home. There won't be postponement of the cessation clause," Azam said.

UNHCR officials estimated that about 30,000 Rwandan refugees will have repatriated by the end of next year.

Meanwhile the officials reaffirmed commitment to helping some 160,000 refugees hosted in Rwanda, mostly Burundians and Congolese.

"The commitments made by Rwanda will help refugees who have been living in camps in Rwanda for 20 years to move out of dependence on humanitarian assistance towards lives of self-reliance in which they are boosting the economies of their hosting areas," Azam said.

He was referring to Rwanda's decision to integrate refugees into the socio-economic structure of the country, allowing them access to education, jobs and healthcare. Endit