A total of 205 Rwandans who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have returned home.
The group crossed into Rwanda on Thursday, March 12, 2026, through the main border post linking the two countries in Rubavu District, where they were received by the district’s Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Ishimwe Pacifique.
Most of the returnees are women and children, many of whom were born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaking to the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, several of them said they decided to return after being encouraged by fellow Rwandans who had previously repatriated and successfully rebuilt their lives back home.
Many of those returning had spent years under the control of the FDLR, a militia group formed by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to the DRC after being defeated by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA).
Since the M23 rebel forces began taking control of large parts of eastern DRC, the returnees say security conditions have improved, allowing them to consider going back to Rwanda.
In cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, those willing to return are being facilitated to repatriate.
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