More than 10 Rwandan Asylum seekers deported to Rwanda while many more a missing in Goma
We call upon the deportation of Rwandan Asylum seekers from Goma, North Kivu DRC back to Rwanda on Saturday August 24th, 2024
The UNHCR boss during his visit in Goma in 2022. Nothing has changed since he left Goma, yet he promised to improve the situation of Rwandan refugees in Goma in particular and in DRCongo in generally. No change has been made even at UNHCR in terms of policy and human resource yet that is is where the problem lies.
On Saturday August 24th, 2024 very early in the morning Rwandan Asylum seekers living in Goma were arrested during security operations in Kahembe and were deported back to Rwanda. The Mayor of Goma Kapend Francois indicated during the press briefing that 8 undocumented Rwandans were arrested for illegal entry on DRC territory, also the Mayor of Goma indicated that other Rwandans were also arrested and were transferred to Kinshasa for being spies of the M23/RDF rebel group fighting in North Kivu.
While the Mayor of Goma claimed that those arrested were illegal migrants, some Rwandan asylum seekers in Goma who knew them indicated to us that most of those arrested and deported were asylum seekers who ran away from the current Rwandan Government, who were denied registration by the Congolese Refugee Commission. Today Monday August 26th, 2024 information from Migration offices here in Goma, indicated that the eight arrested on Saturday were deported back to Rwanda on Saturday without passing through the Migration.
However, fellow Rwandans in Goma have told us that, those arrested were more than what the Mayor said, the indicated that up to now, they are not aware of whereabouts of 39 people mostly Rwandan asylum seekers who were arrested during the security operations. Our efforts to get information about the whole list of those deported and others arrested has remain futile.
Understanding the situation
Currently the City of Goma is hit by insecurity generally caused by armed people among them Government soldiers, who are killing, looting people’s properties and carrying house break into, and each evening there is regular gunshot. In order to improve the situation various measures have been taken including that of security operations to check in houses in various places of Goma in order to see what people have and who the people in different houses are. In this way according to the Mayor anyone in Goma without identification is a perpetrator of the current insecurity.
The current problems of Rwandan asylum seekers
Most of the asylum seekers in Goma are Rwandans, who claim they have survived the persecution in Rwanda and wish to seek protection in DRC. Generally the cross the border through unofficial ways, especially in case they manage to escape Rwandan security services, it is then easier to sneak into Goma. Generally as they come in, they do not know people and do not know Kiswahili, in this way they opt to stay in areas around the border where they can easily mingle as they get used, going far from the border may expose them to various forms of security and make them be perceived as spies.
While in Goma, some have challenges to get information about offices dealing with refugees, others have managed to report to the offices but they were not even registered, they were sent back and told to live on their own until the day when the office will announce for the registration of asylum seekers. The National Refugee Commission known as CNR in Goma is also negatively perceived by refugees as it is composed of officers who are considered to be close to the Government of Rwanda, it is the same with UNHCR Goma which is considered as working with officers who are either Rwandans, residing in Rwanda or close to Rwanda.
Using refugees and asylum seekers as Rwandan spies
Rwanda has deployed people in Goma and in other places in North Kivu in particular and in DRC in general to spy on Rwandan refugees and asylum seekers, some among these spies have easily acquired the refugee status in order to operate quietly and enjoy the protection of the refugee regime. However some have been detected by fellow refugees, and in the process they have silently disappeared from Goma, others have gone back to Rwanda. But still those who are believed to be spies have not been arrested by the regime and the security services, some spies who have been arrested and transferred to Kinshasa especially when they attack the security services.
Statistics
We estimate more than 40,000 Rwandan asylum seekers in Goma alone among them only 5,000 are registered by CNR and UNHCR, despite have stayed in Goma for many years all others are not yet registered. We have pushed for the registration of Rwandan asylum seekers in the whole DRC but in vain, on contrary UNHCR is interested to convince them to return back to Rwanda through the use of money in order to attract their attention.
Basing on the situation we call upon
The Government of DRCongo to stop all deportation of Rwandan asylum seekers especially those who are arrested during security operations,
We call upon DRC and especially the Military Regime in Goma to stop targeting areas that are popularly residential in Goma, and work together with other refugees and asylum seekers to improve their situation and facilitate to get the necessary information,
We call upon the DRC Government to ensure the protection and the security of Rwandan refugees in Goma in particular and in DRC in general,
We call upon the DRC Government to start the registration of Rwandan refugees in the whole country and ensure that each refugee has an identification document,
We call upon DRC to make the necessary reforms of the National Commission for Refugees known as CNR, so that it can work towards the interest of refugees,
We call upon the DRC Government to mobilize the international community in order to put in place the necessary financial resource which can help the efforts to protect refugees,
We call upon donors to invest more in refugees issues especially support the Civil Society organizations which are addressing refugee protection issues,
