Disaster preparedness should be a standard practice and part of daily life.

This was the message at the official launch of an exercise on refugee influx simulation that sought to test institutional capabilities to respond to future mass movement of refugees.

The three-day exercise in Musanze District was organised jointly by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs (Midimar), Rwanda National Police (RNP) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Adam Saber, the UNHCR country representative, said preparing for emergency in any country should be a standard practice and a part of daily life.

"Preparing for an emergency does not mean that it is going to happen. It simply allows appropriate response in the unfortunate event that an emergency does occur,” Saber said.

He observed that political instabilities have a tendency of spilling across borders often leading to the displacement of people.

In the Great Lakes, he noted, Rwanda could potentially turn out to be a destination for refugees.

During the three-day simulation exercise, a command post was created at Musanze Stadium, where individuals from various agencies went through drills to improve their capabilities and knowledge on mass migration handling.

Seraphine Mukantabana, the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs, noted that Rwanda is no stranger to mass population movement.

"Over half of the country’s population at some point had the status of a refugee. When called upon, Rwanda has unquestionably provided asylum to refugees from neighboring countries and will continue to do so,” she said.

The Minister explained that the simulation exercise stemmed from a framework created by the ministry to prepare Rwanda not only for a massive influx of refugees but for natural disasters that may lead to internal migrations.

The exercise was attended by over 100 participants drawn from various institutions dealing with refugee affairs.

The minister said her ministry has created a robust policy framework for disaster management, including mass population influx.

Emmanuel K. Gasana, the Inspector General of Police, noted that the exercise was timely considering that the region’s history has been characterised with conflicts and spillover effects that have led to displacement of people.

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