MCC-supported groups in Congo, Rwanda help 20-year refugees return from exile
May 26, 2014 by Patrick Maxwell and Mennonite Central Committee

BUKAVU, Congo — In spite of tense relationships between the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and neighboring Rwanda, two Mennonite Central
Committee partner organizations are working together to support the
peaceful return of Rwandan refugees to their home country.

Antoine Samvura, coordinator of Friends' Peace House in Rwanda,
oversees an MCC-supported project that addresses the emotional and
practical needs of Rwandan refugees who are moving back home from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. — Paul Mosley/MCC
Twenty years ago, in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, nearly 2
million people fled into Congo. Most were Rwandan civilians, but some
were the soldiers and militiamen — known collectively as génocidaires
— who had carried out the massacres.
Rwandan soldiers pursued these génocidaires into Congo, causing two
wars and countless smaller conflicts and setting the tone for years of
frosty relations between the two countries.
Today, more than 100,000 Rwandans still live in eastern Congo. They
scrape out a living in the country's dense forests, where tensions
between them and their Congolese neighbors sometimes turn violent.
But two MCC partners — the Program for Peace and Reconciliation, or
PPR, of the Church of Christ in Congo (an association of Christian
churches) and Friends' Peace House of the Evangelical Friends Church
in Rwanda — are working to bring the civilian refugees home in a
peaceful way.
Longing to return
"Rwandan refugees in Congo long to return to their homes, even after
many years of exile," said Suzanne Lind, an MCC representative for
Congo with her spouse, Tim. The Linds are from Three Rivers, Mich.
"Military efforts to resolve their status have consistently caused
much suffering and death among Congolese civilians and Rwandan
refugees alike," she said. "Through this program, the churches are
demonstrating a different way."
Because Rwandans fled their country in the aftermath of the genocide,
many are hesitant to return. Although the Rwandan government and the
United Nations provide for their safe repatriation, false rumors
persist that those who return will be punished or killed.
To encourage Rwandans to consider repatriation, PPR field staff,
called animateurs (facilitators), meet face-to-face with refugees,
explaining their options for repatriation. Church leaders help the
animateurs make the connections because refugees, although distrustful
of Congolese organizations, tend to trust the church leaders in the
community where they live.
It's dangerous work, said Michael J. Sharp, an MCC worker from Goshen,
Ind., who has served as a consultant to PPR for almost two years.
As animateurs travel to meet with refugees, he said, "They're at the
mercy of the armed group who controls that area."
But despite the danger, the approach works. Over the past seven years,
PPR has facilitated the repatriation of 19,000 civilian refugees to
homes many have not seen for 20 years.
If the refugees decide to return to Rwanda, the animateurs arrange to
lead them to designated rallying points, where PPR — with support from
MCC — provides food and urgent medical aid. From there the Congolese
and Rwandan governments facilitate the repatriation, with oversight
from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Struggle to cope
Although the returnees are given a small amount of money to help start
their new lives, they often struggle to cope in Rwanda, something
Antoine Samvura sees as Friends' Peace House coordinator.
"After 20 years in the forest, the refugees do not know present-day
Rwanda, and many are traumatized," Samvura wrote.
Many bear psychological wounds from their time spent as refugees.
To help them adjust, Friends' Peace House is launching a project that
includes offering psychosocial counseling and humanitarian items, such
as school and medical supplies.
Staff members have experience counseling Rwandans returning from
Europe and will extend those skills to support those returning from
Congo. MCC Rwanda has committed to providing supplies and project
consultation.
"More Rwandan refugees will return peacefully to Rwanda," because of
this project, Samvura claims.
"Repatriates will reintegrate faster into Rwandan communities, which
will be stronger and healthier as a result."
What's most important, Sharp said, is that "the process shows that
despite the ill will between the two countries, it is still possible
for Rwandans and Congolese to work together."
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