Rwanda: Rubavu Mayor Urges Returnees From DR Congo to Shun Genocide Ideology

2 April 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Germain Nsanzimana

The Mayor of Rubavu District, Prosper Mulindwa, has urged Rwandans returning from DR Congo to reject genocide ideology, which once devastated Rwanda and forced many to flee.

He made the remarks on Thursday, April 2, while welcoming 133 returnees who crossed back into Rwanda through the Grande Barrière border post in Rubavu District.

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The new arrivals, mostly women and children, are fleeing ongoing insecurity in eastern DR Congo, where persistent fighting continues between the Kinshasa government and AFC/M23 rebels.

Mulindwa emphasized that Rwanda has chosen unity as the foundation for national harmony.

"When people were divided, that is when you were forced to leave your country and seek refuge elsewhere against your will," he said.

"Bad governance contributed to this ad genocide ideology spread among Rwandans. They took up guns, machetes, and other weapons and killed Tutsis," the mayor added. "Now that you have returned to Rwanda, put 'Ndi Umunyarwanda' (I am Rwandan) first and avoid divisionism and genocide ideology."

Among the returnees is 74-year-old Pascal Utazirubanda, who fled Rwanda in 1994. He said life became unbearable in DR Congo as fighting intensified in Katoyi village, Masisi Territory, North Kivu, where he lived.

"I am returning to my home country," Utazirubanda said after crossing the border alone, having lost his entire family in the neighboring country. "While in DR Congo, I was told that people were being killed in Rwanda. These lies kept me there in fear of being killed all these years."

Domitille Nyirakaromba, 70, shared a similar experience echoed by many returnees upon arrival at the Rwandan border.

"We were told rumours that it was not safe here," she said. "Members of the FDLR repeatedly told us that people are being killed in Rwanda."

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The new group will be hosted at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre in Rusizi District bringing the total number of returnees since 2025 to over 7,000, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA).

Read the original article on New Times.

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