Fifteen Ex-FDLR Rebels Return to Rwanda
The operation was executed by MONUSCO's disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and stabilization division, transporting the ex-combatants alongside 19 family members back to their homeland, UN radio in Congo reported.
This most recent transfer, verified by a Rwandan government representative, elevates the cumulative total to 60 returnees—33 of whom are former insurgents, according to the report.
The group crossed into Rwanda at the shared border checkpoint connecting Goma city with Rubavu district, where Rwandan officials received them.
MONUSCO reports a notable surge in voluntary defections among Rwandan insurgents positioned around Goma in North Kivu province during recent months, a trend that accelerated following M23 rebels' seizure of the city last year.
Approximately 300 individuals have returned home since last year under the disarmament and demobilization initiative.
The repatriation efforts align with a bilateral peace agreement signed between Congo and Rwanda last June in Washington, designed to stabilize the turbulent eastern Congolese region by dismantling armed factions.
FDLR operatives have maintained a presence in Congo for decades and reportedly remain active in eastern Congo's Masisi, Rutshuru and Walikale territories, media reports indicate.
MONUSCO states it has intensified outreach campaigns to facilitate surrenders and voluntary returns among the militants.
Rwanda classifies the FDLR as a terrorist entity with members connected to the 1994 genocide targeting the Tutsi population.
Against the backdrop of escalating Rwanda-Congo tensions surrounding M23 rebels, Kigali has declared the FDLR's demobilization and repatriation "a non-negotiable requirement to protect Rwanda's territorial integrity."
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