The United Nations refugee chief announced Tuesday that the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda reached an agreement to repatriate displaced refugees. Filippo Grandi, head of the UNHCR, made the declaration in Kinshasa after meeting Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi amid lingering cross-border tensions.
The announcement comes despite strained relations between the neighbours, even after a US-brokered peace agreement signed in June sought to calm hostilities. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also pursuing fragile peace talks with the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, which has seized large areas of the east.
Grandi revealed that 533 Rwandan refugees had been repatriated under UNHCR supervision in the past two days, marking a tentative step forward. He emphasised that all returns of displaced Congolese and Rwandans must remain voluntary, warning against coercion or political manipulation of humanitarian processes.
Human Rights Watch accused the M23 militia in June of forcibly expelling more than 1,500 people to Rwanda and pressuring UNHCR involvement. Kigali has denied the allegations, but the accusations underscored the vulnerability of civilians caught in the violence and contested regional narratives.
Grandi cautioned that the forced expulsions revealed troubling patterns that must not recur, particularly the absence of verification regarding voluntary consent. The humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo remains one of Africa’s most complex, where conflict, displacement, and fragile diplomacy collide with recurring urgency.
With both governments pledging renewed cooperation, the prospect of safe and voluntary returns offers hope, yet mistrust continues to shadow fragile progress. For thousands uprooted by war, the promise of return is not only a logistical challenge but a profound test of political sincerity.
