UNHCR must stop being an instrument of Rwandan President Paul Kagame to create Armed Groups that destabilize the DRCONGO since 1996 up to now.
We take note of the positive and historic move from UNHCR which for the first time since 2018 pronounced the word “Rwandan Refugees in DRC, and for the first time in history has recognized that Rwandan Refugees do not want to go back home”.
We take note of a positive point of UNHCR by publicly acknowledging on Friday 16/12/2022 as reported by some local journalists in Goma, North Kivu, for the very first time since 1994 that the Rwandan Refugees in DRCongo do not want to return to Rwanda. Certainly this is the fruit of our struggle, our sacrifice and our commitment to end this time with this story. We also observe that for the first time in history UNHCR has clearly focused her media briefing on Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We encourage UNHCR to quickly undertake more other reforms in order to assure us or if not just put down her tools and leave the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The DRCONGO is capable of protecting the Refugees, and the DRCONGO is our country, we have values and commitment which we must uphold towards refugees, UNHCR should support our efforts for the Protection of the Refugees, abandoned since 1994.
However we strongly object and really regret the UNHCR statement which is not accurate claiming that UNHCR has a Biometric Registration of Rwandan Refugees in DRCongo, Rwandan refugees in DRCongo are estimated at more than 3 millions and each one should be recognized, but also we regret this high number of Rwandan Refugees repatriated by force to Rwanda since 2010 up to now, who are divided into 4 Groups once in Rwanda:
The First Group of Refugees does integrate the Rwandan Army and are all later deployed to Eastern DRCongo in Armed Groups supported by Rwanda,
The second group of Refugees does leave Rwanda to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi where they are registered by UNHCR as Congolese Refugees,
The third Group of Refugees does return back to DRCongo and camouflage themselves as Congolese,
And the fourth Group of Refugees do remain in Rwanda.
Given that the issue of Refugees is linked to Peace and Security in the DRCONGO, there will be no compromises on this point which is life and death for us. We reiterate our ultimatum to UNHCR DRCongo to make a clear choice within two weeks: Either UNHCR undertakes commitments to ensure effective protection of Rwandan Refugees and all other Refugees on Congolese soil, or UNHCR leaves DRCONGO. We call upon the Congolese population to mobilize for public actions from January 2023 if UNHCR does not respond to our appeal.
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
