A total of 367 people returned to Rwanda on Wednesday, October 8, from eastern DR Congo through the Grande Barrière and Rusizi border posts as part of ongoing repatriation efforts. The returned from Goma and Bukavu cities. They will be temporarily accommodated at Kijote Transit Centre in Nyabihu District before reintegration into the society. ALSO READ: Returnees from DR Congo praise Rwanda’s safety Among them is 54-year-old Theoneste Nsengiyumva, one of many Rwandan nationals who have come back after spending decades in conflict-ridden eastern DR Congo. He said he fled in 1998 following Abacengezi insurgency, after the assailants accused him of cooperating with Inkotanyi. They came killing people, they disturbed us, and then we fled to DR Congo, Nsengiyumva narrated. He also reflected on his life in DR Congo. We were not free at all— it was just a messy life. The Congolese wouldn't allow us to feel free in their country. Life was difficult, and the little we could earn was looted by armed groups, even down to our small livestock. UPDATE: A total of 113 households, comprising 367 individuals, returned to Rwanda on Wednesday, from eastern DR Congo through the Grande Barrière and Rusizi border posts as repatriation efforts continue. The returnees include 99 households from Goma and 14 from Bukavu. They will... pic.twitter.com/sS152m956k — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) October 8, 2026 For Nsengiyumva and many other returnees, decades spent in DR Congo yielded nothing. We wasted our time and grew old for nothing. That is the main reason we decided to return home, he said. 52-year-old Alex Hakizimana, who had fled in 1994, returned from Rubaya in Masisi territory alongside his wife and four children. Life is not good in Congo because of successive wars, he said after crossing Grande Barrière border post in Rubavu District. We lost everything. As a Rwandan national living outside, I decided to return and join others to build our native country. ALSO READ: Rubavu mayor urges returnees from DR Congo to shun genocide ideology Deogratias Nzabonimpa, Rubavu Vice Mayor in Charge of Economic Development who welcomed the group, explained that repatriation efforts are proceeding smoothly through collaboration between the government and returnees who arrived earlier. He noted that upon arrival, returnees are integrated into national programmes designed to uplift their livelihoods, ensuring that even the elderly are supported. When they arrive, their children are sent to school, and those who are in old age and unable to work are assisted through national programs that involve them in national development, Nzabonimpa said. The elderly are not left behind; they are taken care of, as many of them can testify today. This is what motivates even more people to return home. The new arrivals are part of an ongoing repatriation programme supported by the UN Refugee Agency, which targets to repatriate 10,000 Rwandan citizens by the end of 2026.
