Close to 200 Rwandan refugees repatriated

NORTHERN PROVINCE GATUNA – A total of 185 Rwandan Refugees from Nakivale, Oruchinga and Chaka 11 Refugee settlements in Western Uganda, on Tuesday returned home.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Returnees at Rukomo transit camp. (Phtoto: A. Gahene)

NORTHERN PROVINCE

GATUNA – A total of 185 Rwandan Refugees from Nakivale, Oruchinga and Chaka 11 Refugee settlements in Western Uganda, on Tuesday returned home.

The first batch of this latest group of returnees arrived through Gatuna border at 1.30pm. It comprised of a total of 127 returnees from Nakivale and Oruchinga Refugee settlements, while the Chaka 11 group followed two hours later, composed of 58 people.

Both groups were received at Rukomo transit camp, located about 30 km from Gatuna border by officials of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), National Council for Refugees and a representative of the Ministry of Local Government.

Addressing the group, a representative of the Ministry of Local Government Damascene Uburiyemurye, urged them to live in harmony with the local communities upon  reaching their respective districts.

"The current Government of National Unity is committed to uniting all Rwandans as one community. It is also committed to working together to steer economic development,” he said.

Uburiyemuye further urged returnees to desist from genocide ideology and all forms of ethnic divisionism saying, "Genocide ideology and ethnic division has no room in the current Rwanda.”

Ends