The United Nations refugee agency has begun repatriating to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) some of the 10 000 refugees who fled to the Central African Republic (CAR) when war broke out in the DRC in 1998.
A first batch of 101 DRC nationals, about half of them children, were ferried on Wednesday across the Ubangi River from the CAR to the Congolese border town of Libenge, in north-western Equateur province, one of the hardest hit during the five-year war that claimed about 2,5-million lives, either in combat or through disease and hunger.
They travelled home from the CAR town of Molangue, which lies 80km south of that country’s capital, Bangui, on small river boats provided by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A representative of the CAR government travelled with the refugees from Molangue.
The UNHCR returnees were greeted by DRC Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba Fundu and a delegation from the UN refugee agency’s mission in the DRC capital, Kinshasa.
Before the UNHCR-assisted refugees returned to the town, another 94 Congolese who had sought refuge in CAR during the devastating conflict came back to Libenge under their own steam, local officials said.
”The war is over in DRC … We are happy to welcome you,” Mbemba said as he greeted the returning refugees.
He thanked the authorities in Bangui for ”the hospitality and security” provided for six years to the DRC refugees, and the UNHCR for helping those who wanted to return home.
Mbemba also assured the more than 10 000 Congolese who fled to the CAR during the war that they, too, can come back home in safety.
”The DRC is ready to welcome back its children,” he said, stressing that the repatriation exercise has been made possible by a three-way agreement between the CAR, the DRC and the UN.
The UNHCR hopes to repatriate most or all of them before the DRC holds landmark elections in June next year, as provided for under a peace pact enacted in April 2003 to end the war.
The elections will be the first in the vast country since those held on independence from Belgium more than 40 years ago.
”Three thousand of them have already said they want to come back and have signed up” for the UNHCR voluntary repatriation scheme, said the refugee agency’s representative in the DRC, David Kapya of Tanzania.
”There will be at least three returns a week,” he added.
Nearly 400 000 Congolese fled to neighbouring countries during the war. — Sapa-AFP