EASTERN PROVINCE
 
NGOMA—Following the war and the 1994 Genocide, many Rwandans fled the country for safety, both for participating in the crimes or to flee danger.

Now that Rwanda is politically stable, many have returned and others are still coming back to their mother country. Some of these returnees went when they were still young, others could not go with their parents as most of them could not survive the Genocide while others fled.

Claudine Uwimana is one of the returnees who fled the country in 1994. Uwimana says she left when she was four years old to Minove camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her mother died of a heart attack only a year later.

Claudine swoon left with her friend Immaculate, and fled the country together, and soon she was taken in by Mama Fabrice, as Immaculate is often called, and her family.

"She used to tell me that our family was a rich one and we had family friends who liked my mother very much,” Uwimana says.

"I was so happy when she told me one morning that the next day we are going home and that she is taking me to my relatives and family friends.

Spending days and nights on the way, Uwimana says they finally reached to Kibungo where Mama Fabrice said she had long-time friends.

Uwimana says Mama Fabrice told her to "wait for a moment” as she goes to check on the old friends if they are still there.
She says that that was her last time she set her eyes on Mama Fabrice her only mother, father, relative, and friend she knew in her life.

Uwimana, a mother of an 18-month old girl, says she had not eaten the whole day and at night when she was still at the same place where Mama Fabrice left her, the night patrol found her there and arrested her.

After explaining her story, they took her to the village chairman in that night who gave her food and lodging. She was taken to Ngoma district headquarters for more help the next day. She met other returnees at the district who were from Nakivale settlement in Uganda.

Days later after the district did nothing to help her and the baby in terms of food and others, all those who knew their homes among the returnees were given transport to go home leaving Uwimana there with nothing. Again.

Three weeks since she arrived at the district, Uwimana is still there with no help. Desperately with her baby, Uwimana has nothing to eat together with her baby as she only goes on wandering up and down begging to save her child and herself.

She says Rurangirwa Shaban who is in charge of FARG (Fond Association Rescapes Genocide), told her she lacks any document and there is "no way they can trust anything” she says.

However, Rurangirwa also says that the district is still learning about Uwimana’s situation and are seeing if they can find a way to help her.

Ends