The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and the Congo Republic government have started an operation
to integrate Rwandan refugees into Congolese society. IPS reported on December
21 that the operation, which has already begun, is intended to ensure that
Rwandan refugees who fled to the republic more than two years ago are fully
integrated socially and economically into the society. A total of 345 Rwandans
from the refugee camp at Loukolela, 600 kilometers north of the capital
Brazzaville, were transferred to the villages of Boleko and Bokouango in
the La Cuvette region. According to UNHCR representatives, another 5,000
Rwandan refugees will be moved from camps at Kintele, 25 kilometers north
of Brazzaville, to villages in the interior of the country. The operation
was co-organized by an intra-ministerial committee of the Ministries of
Humanitarian Action and Foreign Affairs, and the UNHCR. Most of these refugees
are said to have fled the advance of Congolese ADFL rebel forces led by
now-president of the DR Congo, Laurent Kabila. Most however originally
came to the DR Congo as a result of the 1994 Genocide, having fled Rwanda
fearing retribution and, in some instances, accountability. Some of the
Rwandans who will now be integrated into the Congo Republic's society
are thought to include extremist militia still fighting against Rwanda.
The UNHCR's local director, Jean-Marie Delors, said that those Rwandans
who were involved in military operations and the 1994 genocide are not
the ones being moved, saying, "The integration operation is targeting
only 5,000 refugees. It is trying to find a match in the skills and abilities
of the refugees and the needs of specific villages to help develop a social
and economic dynamic between the Congolese and Rwandan communities. It's
the government's responsibility to manage this problem." Delors said
that 2,000 refugees had already moved on their own initiative to Brazzaville
and other urban centers, where they now lead productive lives. He was quoted
by Reuters saying, "Some were quickly welcomed into their local communities,
finding odd jobs or working as vendors selling miscellaneous items. Others
have begun to do agricultural work. Many have married Congolese women,
had children, and established households." Natives of the Gamboma
district now living in Brazzaville recently organized a delegation to go
back home and ask those still living in the area to protest the arrival
of Rwandan refugees there. A former native of Gamboma was quoted by Reuters
saying, "Rwandans pillaged the crops at Loukolela. We don't have enough
arable forest and we're afraid that there will be friction with the local
population, because we've heard that the Rwandans are very violent and
destroy the forests." The UNHCR acknowledges that the situation in
Gamboma is far from ideal. Delors commented, "In Gamboma, there are
problems with understanding and integration, but it's not hostility nor
xenophobia. Government officials fear that UNHCR is not monitoring the
operation closely enough."
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