Agreement reached on repatriating 10,000 DR of Congo refugees from CAR

Some 10,000 people who fled the fighting in the northwest Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and sought refuge in the Central African Republic (CAR) up to two years ago could return home by the end of December under a new agreement between the two governments and the United Nations refugee agency.

The Congolese refugees from Equateur Province have been living in Bangui, CAR’s capital, and a settlement at Molangue, 80 kilometres to the south-west, according to Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

UNHCR teams have designated two repatriation routes for voluntary refugees, one from Bangui to a refugee centre in Zongo and another to Batanga, Libenga and Gemena, with new refugee centres to be opened in the latter two towns, he said.