DR of Congo: UN repatriates 55 ex-Rwandan soldiers and their dependants

The United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) today said that it has repatriated dozens of soldiers and their dependants in the latest wave of returning foreign troops to their home countries.

MONUC said that 55 former soldiers from Rwanda, along with 59 dependents, who had been housed by the DRC Government at the military base in Kamina were returned yesterday to Kigali, bringing to 178 the total number of Rwandans sent home over the weekend by the Mission. An additional 64 ex-combatants were returned on Friday.

Since early October, some 390 Rwandans have been airlifted home from Kamina, MONUC said. Upon their arrival, the returnees are scheduled to spend a few days at the Mutobo Demobilization Centre in northern Rwanda before being reunited with their families and reintegrated into civilian life.