[PHOTOS]: Refugees call for peace and stability

There is no place like home, Florentine Riziki says. She has lived in Rwanda as a refugee for more than a decade. With the trials and tribulations of refuge life, she says it’s time to go back home and live a normal life. The 32-year-old Congolese and other refugees living in various camps in the country called on concerned organs to do their best to ensure that peace and security returns to the region so that refugees repatriate to their respective countries. They were speaking, yesterday, as the country joined the rest of the world to mark the World Refugee Day. Participants follow proceedings during the world refugee day in Kigali yesterday. The event in Kigali brought together some refugees living in various camps in the country, and those living in urban areas. Refugees sang and staged plays on how they loved their home countries, the worries of refuge life and the rights they are deprived of living away from home. The refugees said while they have been getting assistance from the Government of Rwanda, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and other humanitarian actors, refuge life is underprivileged. Burundian refugees perform during the World Refugee Day in Kigali. “I left my country 13 years ago when wars were ravaging. Since then I have been living in Rwanda, living as a refuge has nothing positive. Much as we were well received and given basic needs, we are deprived of having a place to call home,” said Riziki. “We call for peace and stability in our country. Since I left, the country has never been peaceful enough for us to repatriate, rather other nationals followed me, nobody wants to be called a refugee and I think it is a responsibility for my country, the United Nations and other concerned agencies to do their best to pacify and stabilise my country and the region so we are accorded our rights,” she added. Benigne Nkeshimana, from Burundi, said she arrived in Rwanda a year ago when her country started experiencing killings following President Pierre Nkurunzi’s decision to run for a third term in office. “We were insecure with a lot of violent protests. We are fine in Rwanda, we get food, water and other basics but we don’t feel comfortable as we are not in our own country. The country is yet to be pacified and stabilised and I find no way to go back to my country,” Nkeshimana said. “We need to go back home, we need not to see more people keep fleeing their countries because of insecurity. We also want to participate in socio-economic development of our country,” she added. Congolese refugee dancers performs during the world refugee day in Kigali. The World Refugee Day was marked under the theme, “Refugees are people like anyone else, like you and me.” Rwanda is home to more than 162,000 refugees, mainly from DR Congo and Burundi. This is the biggest number of refugees the country has hosted over the years. Seraphine Mukantabana, the minister for disaster management and refugee affairs, said the Government, together with its partners, has done whatever is possible to ensure that refugees in the country are catered for and get the basics to life. Seraphine Mukantabana, the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs addresses media in Kigali. However, she said it was important to note that much efforts should be invested in eradicating the potential root causes of mass displacements of people. The US Embassy in Kigali, in a statement, affirmed the US Government’s “strong partnership” with UNHCR and the Government of Rwanda in support of refugees who have found safety and shelter in the country. The number of refugees and others fleeing their homes worldwide has hit a new record, reaching 65.3 million people by the end of 2015, according to the UN. Saber Azam, UNHCR Representative in Rwanda speaks to the media in Kigali yesterday. (All photos by Nadege Imbabazi) “I want to stress that it is the responsibility of the international community to provide all that is required to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees,” Minister Mukantabana said. “In spite of all efforts we deploy to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees, the most durable solution is the safe and dignified return of refugees to mother country,” she added. Dr Azam Saber, the UNHCR country representative, said the root cause of conflicts in Burundi and in DR Congo needs political leaders to sit and discuss ways to restore peace and security in their respective countries other than waiting for anybody else’s help. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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[PHOTOS]: Refugees call for peace and stability