Rwandan authorities have decided not to accept any more refugees from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a neighboring country, in a context of deep violence between the two countries. The announcement was made by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a speech to parliament on Monday, January 9.
“We have had refugees here for over 20 years, from the DRC. I refuse to let Rwanda carry this burden and be insulted and insulted every day about it,” he said.

“There is a type of refugee that I think we will no longer accept. We cannot continue to receive refugees, for which we are later held responsible in some way, or even insulted,” added the Rwandan president.

Since 2021, the eastern DRC, rich in mineral resources, has been the scene of violence between government forces and the M23 rebels, a former Tutsi rebellion. This violence has caused many Congolese to migrate to neighboring countries, such as Rwanda. Congolese authorities have always accused Rwanda of supporting the M23. But Kigali has always rejected accusations that its country supports this terrorist group.

“All those who think that this is Rwanda’s problem and not Congo’s, first of all, remove the Congolese who are here. Those who arrive every day, because of the actions of their government and institutions, who say that the government is not functioning properly, it is still not my problem,” said Paul Kagame, addressing the international community.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the end of November 2022, Rwanda was hosting about 72,000 Congolese on its territory, and local media report more than 2,000 new arrivals in the last two months. While the DRC in turn hosts approximately 210,067 Rwandan refugees.