KARONGI - A total of 150 Congolese refugees living at Kiziba refugee camp, Karongi district will be resettled in the United States of America (USA) by the end of this year.

This is in connection with an annual settlement program by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), where selected refugees are relocated to other countries to enable them to lead more decent lives.

According to Manuel Dos Santos, UNHCR official in Karongi, this is the highest number of refugees ever since the settlement program began in 2004.

"It’s a program aimed at helping the refugees get better living standards and its one of the priorities of UNHCR,” Dos Santos told The New Times.

He noted that refugees are impressed with the joint efforts to give them hope for a brighter future.

One of the beneficiaries, Damascene Tuyizere, is optimistic that with the current resettlement package, they would access many developmental opportunities.

"There is hope for a better future most especially that the international community is committed to finding lasting solutions to the problems of refugees in general,” said Tuyizere.

Previously, refugees from the camp have been resettled in countries such as Finland, Denmark, Canada and the UK. It is estimated that approximately 700 refugees have been resettled.

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