A delegation from Burundi arrived in Rwanda on Monday for a two-day visit aimed at mobilising thousands of Burundian refugees in Rwanda to return back home.
Following the political crisis in April 2015, Rwanda received about 94,581 Burundian refugees who fled from the insecurity at the time, of whom about 72, 000 remained in Rwanda as refugees.
The Burundian delegation is composed of the Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry in charge of Public Security, the Director General of Refugees Repatriation and Reintegration, the governors of Kirundo, Bururi and Kayanza provinces.
Early Monday the officials were received by a delegation of their Rwandan counterparts led by Emmanuel Gasana, Governor of the Eastern Province and Alice Kayitesi of Southern Province.
During their visit, the Burundian delegation is expected to meet Burundian refugees in Kigali and Mahama camp in Kirehe District to sensitise them to return to their homeland.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA), a total of 30,315 refugees have returned to Burundi since 2020.
Currently, 50, 329 Burundian refugees live in Rwanda, most of them in the Mahama refugee camp located in Eastern Rwanda near the border with Tanzania.
CU/abj/APA