Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Banner Left
Banner Right

Rwandan refugees not ready to return home

Rwandan refugees not ready to return home

A NUMBER of Rwandans who have sought refuge in Namibia are reluctant to return home, claiming it is not safe.

A group of the refugees interviewed by The Namibian on Friday claimed they feared they would be persecuted by the Kigali government. In September, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Home Affairs Ministry started discussions to pave the way for the repatriation of about 700 Rwandans at the Osire Refugee Camp.The group who spoke to The Namibian said the repatriation was expected to start in June.”There is proof that some people are fleeing Rwanda, yet they want us to go home.Once there, you are in jail or dead.We can’t go when there is a 95 per cent chance of being killed or jailed,” charged one member of the group.They want the repatriation stopped until the United Nations has established that it is safe for everyone to return.They claim that since the talks of possible repatriation started in September, about 600 Rwandan refugees had left the Osire camp and fled Namibia.”They have fled to Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.People are afraid of going home,” a member of the group said.Countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and the Congo Republic have experienced similar opposition from the Rwandan refugees not wanting to return home.In September, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Home Affairs Ministry started discussions to pave the way for the repatriation of about 700 Rwandans at the Osire Refugee Camp.The group who spoke to The Namibian said the repatriation was expected to start in June.”There is proof that some people are fleeing Rwanda, yet they want us to go home.Once there, you are in jail or dead.We can’t go when there is a 95 per cent chance of being killed or jailed,” charged one member of the group.They want the repatriation stopped until the United Nations has established that it is safe for everyone to return.They claim that since the talks of possible repatriation started in September, about 600 Rwandan refugees had left the Osire camp and fled Namibia.”They have fled to Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.People are afraid of going home,” a member of the group said.Countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and the Congo Republic have experienced similar opposition from the Rwandan refugees not wanting to return home.

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News