Africa-Press – Rwanda. The AFC/M23 rebel movement, on Friday, August 28, received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief, Filippo Grandi, in their controlled areas of Goma, and held discussions focused on the future of refugees and internally displaced persons in DR Congo.
The meeting brought together the movement’s leaders including Political Coordinator Corneille Nangaa, Deputy Coordinator Bertrand Bisimwa, and the delegation of negotiators involved in the ongoing Doha peace process.
According to the movement’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the talks centred on how to manage the repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons in a manner that guarantees both dignity and safety.
“At the heart of the discussions was the crucial question of managing the returns of refugees and internally displaced persons,” Kanyuka said in a statement on his official X account. “Both parties have worked to develop frameworks and practical arrangements to ensure that these returns take place in complete dignity and safety.”
The statement was accompanied by a video message from Grandi, delivered in French, in which the UNHCR chief confirmed that the return of displaced populations had been the focus of his meeting with M23 leadership.
He underlined the importance of the repatriation efforts already underway.
“You all know that we have now worked on organising the repatriation of a number of Rwandan refugees, we still have a group waiting. I think that the very pragmatic terms of this return are working well and I hope that we will continue to help people who voluntarily wish to enter their country,” Grandi said, emphasizing that while progress had been made, the broader picture remained tied to the security situation in eastern DR Congo.
“There is also the question of Congolese refugees who are not only in Rwanda but in all neighbouring countries and how to encourage their voluntary return. This subject is linked more to security, to living conditions here since the majority come from the east of DR Congo,” he remarked, “So I hope that the situation in the east will improve, will stabilise so that we can create the conditions and then we will see how to organise the return. So we discussed all these themes.”
Acknowledging the complexity of working in a conflict zone, the UNHCR chief stressed the importance of ongoing political efforts, particularly those being pursued through Qatar and Washington mediation.
“The Washington Accord and the Doha Declaration of Principles, both documents include a mention of refugees and the role that UNHCR must play in facilitating solutions for these refugees. It is in this context that I came to the region and we will continue the discussion.”
He noted that while the conflict is still ongoing, there are “windows of peace” and dialogue, which he said had been confirmed during his discussions with M23 leadership. He further called for humanitarian access in conflict-affected areas, urging cooperation between all actors
“There has also been a lot of talk about the urgent needs of the population here, the need for all parties involved, in this case, the AFC/M23 and Kinshasa government to be able to give humanitarians freedom of movement and access to people in need.”
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