More than 40 families of Burundian refugees are returning home from Rwanda
A total of 47 Burundian families, consisting of 74 individuals, on Thursday, March 12, voluntarily returned to their home country from Rwanda.
The group included a total of 62 refugees from Mahama Camp in Kirehe District and 12 from the City of Kigali. They made their way back to Burundi via the Nemba border post in Bugesera District as part of a continuing repatriation program backed by the Rwandan government and its partners.
The most recent movement signifies the 68th repatriation since 2020, during which over 31,000 Burundian refugees have returned to their homeland.
Gonzague Karagire, Refugee Programme Manager at the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), states that the program is entirely voluntary and is arranged for refugees who choose to register and express a desire to return.
He said, “We work with their country of origin to determine when they will receive them, and then we assist with the return.”
Karagire highlighted that Rwanda collaborates closely with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to facilitate the smooth reintegration of returnees upon their return home.
Among those returning was Oda Maria, who had spent 11 years in Mahama Camp before choosing to go back.
“I felt the time had come to return home,” she remarked, observing that witnessing other refugees successfully reintegrate in Burundi inspired her to make this choice.
Jérémy Havugiyaremye, another returnee who has spent 25 years in Rwanda, expressed that he decided to come back because he longed for his homeland.
Jeanette Mukandera, who spent 21 years in Rwanda, conveyed her appreciation to the nation for providing a dignified refuge to those in need.
“We coexisted harmoniously with Rwandans without any issues.” “We received food, shelter, and healthcare, and no one mistreated us because we were refugees,” she stated.
Rwanda is currently home to over 53,000 Burundian refugees, residing in Mahama Camp and various urban areas throughout the country.
