Rwandan refugees in Uganda to be repatriated

Over 1,312 Rwandan refugees who fled to Uganda between March and April this year and were denied refugee status, are to be repatriated this month by the Ugandan officials in partnership with the government of Rwanda. This was revealed, yesterday, by Gen Marcel Gatsinzi, the Minister for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness in an interview with The New Times. “We gave them the whole of last month to voluntarily return home but they did not comply…we are therefore, going to repatriate them ourselves before this month ends,” he said. Gen. Gatsinzi said that there is no reason why Rwandans should stay in exile since there are no conditions in the country that compel them to live as refugees in other countries. He said that the Ugandan officials have agreed to send them back by the end of this month. The Rwandan refugees fled to Uganda claiming political persecution but the Ugandan government refused to grant them refugee status because there is no persecution as they claim. It is reported that, some of the refugees are reluctant to return because of their role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Ends

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Rwandan refugees in Uganda to be repatriated