Elites hampering refugee repatriation says returnee

Rwandan refugees living in Zambia are willing to voluntarily return but their leaders in the camps are dissuading them, Geraldine Mukakabego, a former university lecturer who returned in February from Zambia told a group of visiting members of the Zambian Parliament and government officials yesterday.She warned that unless the camp leadership is changed, the refugees would never return.The Lusaka lawmakers are in the country to assess the country’s status while meeting government officials responsible for the repatriation of refugees to mull over the implementation of the UN cessation clause. The group of nine headed by Lt Gen.Ronald Shikapwasha, a former Foreign Affairs Minister, are members of the National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee in the Zambian Parliament.Mukakabego, 42, said despite the presence of suspects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, there are many innocent nationals eager to return home.“I believe if we strategise and remove those top groups that are blocking others, refugees will be free to come back home.”The mother of two said when she visited the country for the “Come and See Go and Tell”campaign, refused to return which she says clearly irked her colleagues.A social scientist, Mukakabego said she had left her children in Zambia, and when chose to remain in Kigali, the refugees threatened to kill her son.“They started planning to kill my son so that I could go back but fortunately, my kids survived and I am now with them at home in Huye District, Southern Province.”Mukakabego fled the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, where she stayed until 2002 before she eventually crossed over to Zambia. She says she is now searching for a university teaching job. Abdul Simwaya, a member of Zambian delegation, stated that it was imperative to embark on implementation of the tripartite agreement signed between the two countries and the UN refugee agency.“Some of these refugee leaders are intellectuals, many are doctors and lecturers. They know what they’re doing though. However, we have to intervene and pave way for the refugees to return,” he urged.An estimated 6,000 Rwandans, mostly accommodated in Maheba camp in the North-Western Province of the Southern African country remain in Zambia. Since 1994, more than 217 have willingly returned.”We are part of government and we are now going to come up with a report and then send it to the Speaker. If the recommendations are adopted, the government will implement them for the benefit of refugees,” said Gen Shikapwasha.He mentioned the need to identify rebel leaders as well as the 1994 genocide perpetrators hiding in their country and act accordingly.On the issue of the cessation clause, said, “There is no need of Rwandans to live as refugees when their country is secure.”The cessation clause that was invoked last year will officially be implemented on June 30, 2013. This means that Rwandan refugees who fled between 1959 and December 31, 1998, must have either returned home or applied for citizenship to legally live in the host countries. The Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Gen. Marcel Gatsinzi, announced that Rwandan embassies and high commissions in various countries would continue to sensitise refugees to return voluntary.He commended the Zambian government for its commitment towards ensuring the safe return of Rwanda refugees.“The fact that this delegation is here to assess the situation is a clear manifestation that Zambia is committed to the repatriation of refugees,” he told reporters in a separate interview.