251 Rwandans held by FDLR return from DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rwanda News Agency
Two hundred and fifty-one Rwandans held in DR Congo by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda have returned to Rwanda, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Of them, 194 came from Goma, 34 from Bukavu and 23 from Kamanyola; UNHCR announced their return on 30 October 2026.
UNHCR said that these returnees had lived in exile for several decades. Some cited the lack of identity documents, the difficulties linked to the war and fears of reprisals if they returned, concerns they attributed to messages disseminated by the FDLR. Baraturukundo Pascal, who returned with his wife and their eight children, said he had left Rwanda in 1994 and had waited before returning because of these threats.
These returns come as the issue of the FDLR remains linked to fighting in eastern DR Congo. On 27 October, Kinshasa announced that it wanted to establish a timetable against the FDLR rebels, while an attack by the CRP in Ituri killed four people on 30 October, according to reports carried by the media concerned.
