Report of the meeting on the situation of Hutu Refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Republic of the Dialogue on the situation Hutu Refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the armed group of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda known as FDLR

This Monday November 17^th, 2025 again Congolese from various places came together in order to focus on the situation of Hutu Rwanda refugees and this armed group called FDLR.

As a reminder these Dialogues aim at sharing accurate information in order to combat existing false information about refugees, harmonizing the views for a common response about what we should do as people in order to support refugees and making people to connect so that can build social network aiming at creating space for refugee protection. Let us mitigate this issue.

Brief background

In 1994 the Democratic Republic of Congo then called Zaire welcomed more than 4 million people who run away from the Genocide in Rwanda. They resided near borders with Rwanda and among them those with guns, which were host together with civilians especially former Rwandan Army and the Interahamwe Militia accused of genocide in Rwanda. Both Zaire and the United Nations bear the responsibility in bad management of refugees in 1994, they both failed to disarm those with guns, failed to relocate refugees far from the border with Rwanda, failed to provide refugees with humanitarian assistance, failed to protect Congolese host communities and failed to constitute a clear data base about refugees who entered in the country.  

Their guns also killed many Congolese people in both North Kivu and South Kivu, and their presence caused Cholera outbreak which claimed hundreds of lives among refugees and Congolese host communities, all livelihood activities especially agriculture were destroyed and consumed by refugees. In 1996 Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi launched military operations by attacking Zaire and destroyed all refugee camps, massacred thousands of refugees including Congolese host communities. The war was repeated in 1998 and ended in 2001. Since 1996 up to now, Rwandan Hutu Refugees in DRC are the main target of Rwanda Government, many have been assassinated, massacred, deported, went missing, illegally detained and have all forms of abuses in the eyes of all stakeholders.

The little information we have is generally from Rwanda’s criminalization policy of Hutu refugees which describes all Hutu refugees as criminals and dangerous people who should be killed, in the process Rwanda’s Foreign Policy includes all Hutu refugees as genocidaires and armed against current Rwanda Government. Rwanda has also proposed and put in place the only deportation approach of Hutu refugees from DRC the only durable solution which all stakeholders have implemented without questioning. In order to do this Rwanda has infiltrated various United Nations Agencies and even some DRC institutions such the Congolese National Commission for Refugees known as CNR.

Over the years, the Democratic Republic of Congo has not put in place the Hutu refugee Protection Plan and in most cases DRC has implemented Rwanda’s criminalization policy focusing on killing Hutu refugees, deportation and forced repatriation of those who are viewed as mere civilians. But what could happen if you may change the narrative and move towards the protection of refugees?

Rwanda is highly involved in various crimes against Hutu refugees in different countries, what is important is that the rest of the countries have taken serious measures to stop Rwanda’s criminality except the Democratic Republic of Congo which has not yet taken any measures to stop Rwanda from abusing Hutu refugees.

And this, has been the center of our interactions on this Monday. Since 2001 Rwanda has intervened military in DRC mainly in North Kivu and in South Kivu hunting Hutu refugees, we do observe that the rest of Hutu refugees in other provinces which are far from Rwanda are safe and not being targeted but also Rwanda does not consider them as enemies, this has spark the idea of why DRC has not yet managed to relocate these refugees far from Kivu to other Provinces?

On top of that over the years, DRC has not done much in order to ensure the protection of Hutu refugees in other parts of the country many have never been identified, they have no recognized settlements, they do not access humanitarian relief aid and no one talks about them. There is no clear information why DRC has failed to come up with the refugee protection plan, and this has been one among our struggle since 2021 up to now. Questions remain: What could we lose if we decide to protect refugees? What are the risks if we protect refugees? What could the United Nations lose and what are the risks if they protected refugees, on the other way, why should Rwanda focus on the protection of refugees in other countries especially in DRC and create a favorable environment for Rwandan to feel loved by their country? What is the problem if Rwanda could cooperate with other countries on issues of refugee protection?

Participants argued that the lack of DRC Hutu Refugee Protection Plan has given Rwanda enough opportunities to look at them as criminals and to convince all actors that these refugees are criminals, this has been viewed as complex and sensitive issue but questions remain until when they will be considered as complex and sensitive issue?  How the protection of refugees become complex and sensitive, we do not know as per now yet in our communities where we are living with them the situation is not complex and sensitive. The only forced repatriation approach in place highly funded by the United Nations and Development Partners has worsened the situation and has not contributed to the intended objective of durable and lasting solution, on contrary those facing forced repatriation and deportation back to Rwanda end up coming back to DRC where they play various roles when they lack protection, and this justify the presence of FDLR fighters who are just part of those who are opposed to forced repatriation and those who were forced to go to Rwanda but then returned back to DRC and opted to joined armed groups. We all know that FDLR will not exist if refugees are fully protect in DRC and safe from Rwanda brutality.

The main objective of FDLR fighters is the protection of refugees as they do always make it clear in their various media campaigns, so why should DRC fail to do this in order to ensure that refugees are not perceived as harmful anymore.

The meeting advanced the need for a strong advocacy campaign aiming at engaging Congolese Government to come up with a holistic refugee protection plan especially Rwandan Hutu refugees in DRC among others.

And lastly the meeting observed with regret that UNHCR in the Democratic Republic of Congo lost her refugee protection role and became a mere implementing partner of Rwanda refugee criminalization policy. Testimonies and enough evidence point at UNHCR participation in Massacres, deportations, forced repatriation of Hutu Refugees back to Rwanda and therefore UNHCR may not be considered as the best partner in the refugee protection in DRC. It is difficult even impossible for refugees in DRC to trust UNHCR. So we may need another partner in order to do this work.  

While various sites of massacres against Congolese have been identified in the whole country, nothing much has been done in order to identify and mark sites where Hutu Refugees were massacres, and the current DRC Government has failed to clearly tell Rwanda about the necessity to ensure refugee protection. On contrary both Rwanda and DRC seem to work together in order to facilitate Rwanda to commit crimes against refugees in DRC and UNHCR as the executioner of the plan.

As participants we showered our commitment towards the protection of refugees in DRC, and will continue to advocate for that, currently ideas were advanced about the relocation of Hutu Refugees from South Kivu and North Kivu towards other Provinces which are very far from Rwanda mainly Tanganyika, Tshopo and Ituri among others. But all we can do may need the support from the Government.

Once refugees are fully protected, then they will no longer be considered as a threat to anyone and Rwanda will not have excuses for wars in DRC. One among the best ways to promote peace in the eastern DRC and between Rwanda and DRC is the protection of Rwandan Hutu Refugees in Camps where they are controlled and are less perceived as harmful.

Our next Dialogue is on next Monday

Thanks