Attachments
KEY STATISTICS
5,995new asylum seekers arrived in Rwanda from DRC between November 2022 and 06 April 2023
1,775 asylum seekers were relocated to Mahama camp up until 12th January
4,220asylum seekers accommodated at Nkamira Transit Site
55% of the new arrivals in Rwanda are children below 18
99% of arrivals originate from North Kivu specifically Masisi and Rutshuru
OVERVIEW
The escalation in fighting within Eastern DRC is resulting in an increase of new asylum seekers arriving in Rwanda. As of the first week of April, over 5,995individuals have arrived in Rwanda since mid-November 2022.
Between the end of November and beginning of January, new arrivals were initially received at Kijote Transit Centre before being transferred to Mahama refugee camp. Due to the increasing numbers, however, and the fact that Mahama Camp has reached capacity, on 12 January 2023, the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) informed UNHCR of the decision of the Government of Rwanda to host asylum seekers close to the border at a new site -Nkamira.
On 8February, Kijote Transit Centre was emptied, and all new arrivals are now directly transferred to Nkamira Transit Site. As of March 2023, UNHCR and partners continue to build the capacity of the site to accommodate the new flow of arrivals.
Sector Response
MINEMA and UNHCR are co-leading the response at Nkamira alongside ADRA, World Vision, Save the Children, Plan International, Prison Fellowship, Red Cross, WFP, and UNICEF. Weekly coordination meetings are happening at the field level and three high-level coordination meetings have also taken place in Kigali.