Photo Credit: Refugees International/ Sarah Martin
05/02/2005

These women and children are waiting to return to Rwanda after spending 11 years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the eastern DRC, a Rwandan militia group may finally be ready to lay down their arms and return in peace to Rwanda. But as the return process begins to be negotiated and organized, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, the government of Rwanda and other implementing agencies are not paying adequate attention to the needs of FDLR dependents, leaving at least 40,000 women and children potentially vulnerable. Tens of thousands of Rwandans have been living in the eastern DRC since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda – some as refugees and some as members of the FDLR.

Refugees International is calling on the UN Peacekeeping force in the DRC to ensure that the special needs of FDLR dependent women and children are taken into account as they help the Rwandans return home.