“They used to tell us, ‘Just wait, we are almost there to take over Rwanda,’ but later we realized they were lying to us.” These are the words of Bizumuremyi François, who returned to Rwanda after freeing himself from the grip of the FDLR, which had held him captive.
Since the beginning of 2025, Rwanda has received more than 9,000 Rwandans who had been held hostage by the FDLR, an armed group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Those who returned today crossed through the Rubavu border. They included 177 children, 71 women, and 37 men. Vehicles were waiting for them at the border to take them to Kijote Camp in Nyabihu District.
Uwimbabazi Murara said he originally came from Rwanda, specifically the former Rwerere Commune in Gisenyi Prefecture. He had fled from the Ihura area in Kizimba Groupement, where they had been living under extremely difficult conditions.
He said: “The FDLR, which we fled with, discouraged us from returning home. They told us that if we went back, we would betray them. We feared them and complied with their demands. They kept telling us to be patient, saying that when the time came, we would return home after they had taken over Rwanda. This kept us trapped in uncertainty.”
“We cultivated our land but could not harvest because armed groups would come and steal our crops. They constantly chased us, saying that we were Rwandans. Those who had returned home gave us information that it was peaceful, so we decided to return.”
Uwimbabazi said that after losing four children and his wife, who was killed by armed groups, he felt he had nothing left to lose and decided to return to his homeland. Some of his relatives had been telling him that Rwanda was peaceful.
Bizumuremyi François, who left Rwanda in 1994 from the former Gikongoro Prefecture, told IGIHE that one of the main reasons he spent more than 30 years away from his homeland was the lies they had been told. They had been promised that they would return home together with FDLR fighters once the group had taken over Rwanda.
He said: “They kept telling us, ‘Just wait, we are almost coming.’ They continued deceiving us, saying that nothing was going well in Rwanda. We kept waiting for them, but later realized that they were lying. I arrived in Congo in 1994.”
Bizumuremyi added that they were told that anyone who returned to Rwanda would either be killed or imprisoned. He said he eventually decided to return after receiving information from family members who told him that Rwanda was peaceful and urged him to come home.
Rubavu District Mayor Mulindwa Prosper, who received the returnees, reminded them of the importance of strengthening their Rwandan identity so that they would not find themselves in exile again.
Mayor Mulindwa assured the returnees that the government would continue supporting them. He said that when they leave for their respective homes, they will receive assistance to help them restart their lives.
The assistance includes financial support for basic needs: returnees over the age of 18 will receive $188, while those under 18 will receive $113. Each returnee will also receive basic food supplies worth 45,000 Rwandan francs.
