Rwandan nationals returning from DR Congo have praised their homeland's security and remarkable transformation after years of living in a region ravaged by ongoing conflict. A new group of 406 Rwandans crossed back into the country on Wednesday, August 26, through La Corniche border post in Rubavu District as part of a voluntary repatriation programme supported by the United Nations Refugee Agency. ALSO READ: 10,000 Rwandans could be repatriated from DR Congo in 2026 - officials The returnees will be hosted at Nyarushishi Transit Center in Rusizi District, joining hundreds of others who have voluntarily returned in recent months. The movement stems from a high-level tripartite agreement reached in Addis Ababa between Rwanda, DR Congo, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which aims to repatriate nearly 10,000 Rwandan citizens by 2026. Uwayisaba Munyabarenzi fled to Masisi Territory in 1998 during the Abacengezi war—an insurgency driven largely by former FAR soldiers and Interahamwe militias. After crossing the border at Grande Barrière, the 46-year-old father of two said he was surprised by how much the country has evolved. “The country is peaceful, and it has transformed beyond recognition—it is truly flowing with milk and honey,” Munyabarenzi told The New Times. ALSO READ: Nearly 8,000 Rwandans returned from DR Congo since 2025 He explained that long-standing propaganda by FDLR militia leaders had kept him in eastern Congo for nearly three decades. “Once we realized the country is genuinely secure, we felt reassured and decided to come home, he added. Uwimana Nyirarukundo, who returned to her ancestral home in the former Karago Commune (now part of Nyabihu District), shared a similar experience of overcoming fear through family connections. “We were always told that returning home meant facing danger,” recalled Nyirarukundo, 50. “My brother, who repatriated before me, reached out and confirmed that everything is safe and that it is time to return.” Prosper Mulindwa, Mayor of Rubavu District, urged remaining Rwandans in the DRC to ignore misleading rumors and return home without fear. There are still people across the border held captive by decades of deceitful politics, Mulindwa told journalists at the border. I encouraged those who returned today to mobilize those left behind. First-hand accounts from family members make it easier for others to return home.
