Refugees International is returning to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to assess the situation for Congolese refugees, former Rwandan refugees who have returned home, and the status of the disarmament, demobilization, return and reintegration process in both countries. The mission is being conducted by a team of 13 people, made up of Refugees International staff, members of the Board of Directors and private donors, and will build upon the information gathered in our April mission to the region.

Eleven years after the genocide that killed 800,000 people in three months, refugees who fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo are still returning home. These families need transportation, food, and supplies to return home in safety and dignity and reintegrate into their communities. Further, many of those returning are former combatants and their families, and Refugees International will be focusing especially on whether the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, the government of Rwanda and other agencies are paying adequate attention to the needs of these dependents.

In addition to Rwandans returning home, Congolese who have fled ongoing fighting are arriving in Rwanda daily. Aid agencies are struggling to meet the demands of both returning Rwandan refugees and this influx of new people, and Refugees International will be visiting camps in Byumba and Nyabiheke to ensure that these refugees are receiving adequate assistance.

Refugees International will also assess the efforts of the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC (MONUC) as it faces the multiple challenges of disarming reluctant militias, assisting former child soldiers and reintegrating former fighters into their communities. In April, Refugees International found that MONUC had successfully disarmed more than 15,000 militias, but investment was still needed to rebuild community infrastructure and sustain other recovery activities that could ensure that former combatants could return home and rejoin their community.

This is Refugees International’s third mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo and its second to Rwanda in the last two years.