Dar es Salaam. Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have agreed to begin voluntarily repatriating Congolese refugees who are ready to return home.
The agreement was reached during a Tripartite Commission meeting in Lubumbashi, where Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Ayoub Mohammed Mahmoud said the exercise would prioritise the safety, dignity and voluntary choice of refugees.
Mr Mahmoud said Tanzania would neither encourage nor pressure refugees to return to the DRC, insisting that those choosing to go back must do so freely and through an orderly process.
“Tanzania will continue to ensure that refugees who decide to return to their country do so voluntarily, while the repatriation process takes into account their safety and dignity,” he said.
He said refugees who were not yet ready to return would continue receiving protection and assistance at Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Kigoma Region, subject to available resources.
Mr Mahmoud said the start of the voluntary repatriation programme would not affect Tanzania’s commitment to receiving new asylum seekers fleeing insecurity in parts of the DRC.
The agreement comes as Tanzania, the DRC and UNHCR seek to facilitate safe and dignified returns while ensuring continued protection for refugees who remain unable to return home.
