Zairean Troops Force Rwandan Refugees from Their Shelters

Strategic Insights -

Tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees are being driven from their shelters in an orgy of burning and looting by Zairean troops, leading aid workers to fear that this may be the first stage of a campaign to force the refugees home. The refugees are being forced to leave their villages and are tramping the roads north of Goma in search of a place to settle. The Zairean troops, in a move reminiscent of the exodus from Rwanda in July, are burning homes and driving off with food, radios, and animals.

Key Takeaways:

  • Zairean troops have driven tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees from their shelters in an orgy of burning and looting.
  • The refugees were forced to leave their villages and are tramping the roads north of Goma in search of a place to settle.
  • At least 19 Rwandans were killed in random shooting and pillaging at the weekend by the Zairean army in Katale, the largest refugee camp.
  • 37 refugees were deported to Rwanda on Sunday, with the Zairean authorities claiming they were criminals.
  • The coordinator of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Katale, Mr. Jesper Jensen, said that the Zairean authorities warned him last week that they planned to force large numbers of refugees outside the main camps to move inside areas designated for the Rwandans.
  • Mr. John Hall of Oxfam believed that the attacks showed that the authorities were pursuing a strategy of forcing the refugees home after realising there was no prospect of a voluntary return.
  • The refugees are being forced to live in smaller areas, with the Zairean authorities demanding that the existing camps shrink in size to move further away from the roads and protected areas.
  • Members of a group of 1500 Jehovah's Witnesses were the first to be forced to leave their shelters.
  • The leader of Katale camp, Mr. Francois Karera, was forced from his home, which he rented 16 kilometres from the camp.
  • Mr. Karera, a former governor of greater Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is among those named as playing a prominent role in the genocide of Tutsis.

Statistics:

  • Tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees have been driven from their shelters.
  • At least 19 Rwandans were killed in random shooting and pillaging at the weekend by the Zairean army in Katale.
  • 37 refugees were deported to Rwanda on Sunday.
  • About a million Rwandans have fled to Zaire, bringing disease, inflation, and environmental destruction.
  • The refugees are being forced to live in smaller areas, with the Zairean authorities demanding that the existing camps shrink in size to move further away from the roads and protected areas.

Sources:

  • The Guardian.