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Refugee repatriation efforts in the Great Lakes region

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-20 08:46 UTC → 2026-09-21 16:52 UTC · added removed

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is engaged in tripartite agreements with neighboring nations to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of refugees. In late August 2026, the DRC and Tanzania, alongside the UNHCR, signed a roadmap in Lubumbashi to organize the return of approximately 87,000 Congolese refugees from Tanzania. The agreement emphasizes that returns must be voluntary and safe, though the UNHCR warned of security risks in volatile eastern regions like Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. By September 2026, similar coordination efforts were reported between Rwanda, the DRC, and the UNHCR regarding Rwandan refugees. A refugees showed continued progress toward a technical plan aims for goal of 10,000 returns in 2026, with for the year. As of September 20, 3,752 returns recorded Rwandan refugees have voluntarily returned since the start of the year. 2026, including a recent movement of 366 individuals from Goma, Bukavu, and Kamanyola. However, nearly 80,000 this represents less than 2% of the approximately 194,500 Rwandan refugees and asylum seekers remained remaining in the DRC as DRC. These civilian returns are distinct from a September 8 operation involving the transfer of March 2026. 120 individuals—including 51 former FDLR combatants and 69 family members—to a demobilization center in Rwanda with MONUSCO support. While the UNHCR maintains that repatriations are “voluntary, safe, and dignified,” some refugee advocacy organizations have raised concerns regarding the conditions under which individuals are identified and grouped in eastern DRC territories. These repatriation efforts have occurred occur alongside rising regional tensions sparked by the circulation of a historical map circulating on social media depicting an “ancient Rwanda” that extends into eastern DRC and western Uganda.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-21 16:52 UTC Refugee repatriation efforts in the Great Lakes region
  2. 2026-09-20 08:46 UTC Refugee repatriation efforts in the Great Lakes region

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