{"id":5283,"date":"2026-11-13T09:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2026-11-13T09:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:20:09","slug":"477-rwandans-return-from-dr-congo-recount-threats-by-fdlr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/477-rwandans-return-from-dr-congo-recount-threats-by-fdlr\/politics\/","title":{"rendered":"477 Rwandans return from DR Congo, recount threats by FDLR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A group of 477 Rwandans has returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some saying threats and intimidation by armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), made it difficult for them to return home earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The returnees arrived on Thursday, November 12, 2026, through the Rusizi and Rubavu border crossings after facing insecurity, repeated fighting and loss of property in eastern DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Nyiransengiyumva said the FDLR had threatened to kill anyone who attempted to return to Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lived in difficult conditions throughout. The FDLR would chase us away and refuse to let us return, saying that anyone who tried to go back would be killed. We lived in terrible conditions in the bush. The FDLR are very bad people; they constantly rob people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said she was relieved to be back and hoped her father and other Rwandans still in the DRC would also return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another returnee, Alfred Niyitegeka, cited persistent fighting and limited access to healthcare as major difficulties. He said he had tried several times to return but was prevented by insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was constant fighting, and when you fell ill, you had nowhere to seek treatment. I tried to return but could not because of the fighting,\u201d he said, adding that he hoped his wife and children, who remain in the DRC, would join him in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwiririza Fred, the executive secretary of Rusizi District, who received some of the returnees at the Rusizi I border crossing, said misinformation and rumours were among the reasons some Rwandans feared returning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged those still in the DRC to come home and encouraged the returnees to enrol their children in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 477 returnees, 341 entered Rwanda through the Grande Barri\u00e8re border post in Rubavu District, while 136 crossed through Rusizi I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were transferred to the Kijote Transit Centre in Nyabihu District, where they will receive assistance as they prepare to rebuild their lives in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A group of 477 Rwandans has returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some saying threats and intimidation by armed groups, including the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,43,41,5,35,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news","category-current_affairs","category-hot_topics","category-politics","category-regional","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5285,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283\/revisions\/5285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}