APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – A group of 95 Burundian refugees assisted by the UN’s refugee agency returned this week in a convoy consisting of three buses which brought them to the South Eastern border post of Nemba, an official source confirmed to APA Thursday.
Since UNHCR began its repatriation of Burundian refugees from Mahama camps in South Eastern Rwanda since 2015, at least 30,228 refugees have returned home.
Currently, Rwanda hosts about 50,000 Burundian refugees, most of them live in Mahama camp – the biggest refugee camp in the country.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), most of these refugees who have been living in Rwanda over the last seven years continue to express their willingness to return home as Burundi becomes more peaceful.
They were displaced following a political crisis in 2015v under now-deceased President Pierre Nkurunziza. After serving two terms, Nkurunziza refused to step down, triggering months of protests.
They include those living in Mahama camp and others established in various urban settings across Rwanda.
Since August 2020, UNHCR has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 30,317 Burundian refugees from Rwanda through 63 convoys thanks to support from donors such as EU Humanitarian Aid.
The latest repatriation consists of the 65th convoy, according to the same source.
CU/abj/APA