Up to 360 Rwandans who had been held hostage, for many years, by the DR Congo-backed FDLR genocidal militia returned home on Saturday, May 17. The returnees, mainly young children and women, were received by local authorities at Grand Barrière Border Post in Rubavu District, and transferred to Kijote Transit Camp for screening and necessary support. ALSO READ: Why genocide ideology doesn’t dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires The group is part of an estimated 2,500 other Rwandan citizens who had been blocked from returning home by FDLR in parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of eastern DR Congo. They are now able to find their way home following the defeat and purging of the genocidal militia from the region by AFC/M23 rebels who control swathes of territory in eastern DR Congo. The FDLR which poses a direct threat to Rwanda's security is a Kinshasa-backed militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Furaha, a 25-year-old mother of one, expressed her joy at returning to her homeland despite being born in DR Congo. My parents are coming too, they're just behind, she said, indicating that another part of her family was set to return home with another group of returnees set to cross the border over the weekend. I feel much safer living in Rwanda than in Congo because my parents are Rwandans. I'm not scared anymore; I feel safe now knowing that I'm going to meet and stay with my family and relatives. Olivier Turikumwe, 22, who said his origins are in Rubavu District, said. I went to Congo when I was just nine months old. My mother took me there.” “We lived in Masisi until we fled and sought refuge in schools, protected by M23 due to the ongoing fighting with the state army. ALSO READ: Envoy reiterates Security Council’s need to take Rwanda’s concerns seriously According to Prosper Mulindwa, the Mayor of Rubavu District, “this is part of a larger repatriation effort where over 2,000 more Rwandans are expected to return home on various occasions.” “We are happy to welcome back our citizens who have been living in DR Congo as refugees. They come from various parts of the country,” added Mulindwa.
