Tagged:

South African Minister Welcomes Refugees' Voluntary Repatriation

The Department of Home Affairs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have collaborated to assist 49 refugees from the DR Congo return to their home country.

Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, welcomed the voluntary repatriation, saying: "Progressive partnerships will help us to resolve some of the challenges around the international protection afforded to vulnerable people. The voluntary repatriation process is also an example of how personal circumstances of vulnerable people can change to an extent that they can return to their home countries when the conditions allow."

The refugees are returning to the capital Kinshasa and the city of Lubumbashi, in the south-east of the country, areas considered safe for refugees to return to. UNHCR expects to repatriate up to 400 refugees from South Africa in 2022, up from 275 in 2021.

"We believe that with time and a conducive environment which must be created by all stakeholders, these numbers will increase exponentially," said Motsoaledi.

InFocus

Kimberly Mutandiro/GroundUp

People queuing at the Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre in Pretoria (file photo).

Follow AllAfrica

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.