After several months spent at the Mutobo demobilization center, 214 people affiliated with armed groups, including the FDLR according to Rwandan authorities, were reintegrated this week.
In Rwanda, 214 people linked to rebel groups operating in eastern DRC, including, according to authorities, members of the FDLR, completed their reintegration into civilian society this week. The group comprises both former combatants and civilians associated with these armed movements.
During their care, the beneficiaries followed a reintegration program based on civic education, social support and preparation for returning to their communities of origin.
According to the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), more than 12,000 people have been supported since 2001 under this national scheme.
The issue of the FDLR, an armed group originally formed by former leaders and participants in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, who have been based in eastern DRC for nearly thirty years, remains one of the main security challenges put forward by Kigali, including in recent diplomatic discussions held in Washington.
For the president of the RDRC, Valérie Nyirahabineza, the success of the process also depends on the support of the communities called upon to welcome the veterans.
"It is essential to prepare not only families, but also communities as a whole to accept them, without continuing to view them solely as combatants. Once they have agreed to lay down their arms, we must give them the benefit of the doubt," she emphasizes.
Following their reintegration, former members of armed groups return to their villages of origin. More than half of those reintegrated this week are expected to go to the Rubavu district, on the border with Goma.
