By JOHNSON KANAMUGIRE

More by this Author

Congolese refugees in Kigeme and Gihembe camps could be relocated to the Eastern-based Mahama camp amid growing concerns over dangers linked to environmental degradation in the area.

The camps on the hilly topography of Southern and Northern province respectively are currently deemed highly prone to disasters such as landslides.

Rwanda Today learnt that despite intervention by different agencies to fix the drainage systems, the situation only exacerbated thanks to the burden of high population density on the area’s environmental resources.

Sources indicate that due to difficulty to secure alternative sites for the families earmarked as facing immediate risk, humanitarian agencies resorted to evacuating the refugees to the Eastern Province-based Mahama camp where a number of Burundians refugees have opted for voluntary return to their home country since August last year.

This allowed the UN’s refugee agency to transfer a section of the Congolese in Kigeme camp, currently hosting over 20,000 refugees, to Mahama with more families earmarked for relocation on a weekly basis.

“The concerns or resistance to the evacuation is linked to the fact that it implies starting life afresh because after decades many had established some businesses and rapport with the communities, children were in schools, and other disruptions,” said Anicet Sindiyara Uwiringiyimana, a Congolese whose 5-member family was recently transferred to Mahama from Kigeme.

“Another problem has been the dissimilarity in weather, and the difference in culture with our Burundian counterparts at Mahama. It takes time for one to adapt.”

Both the Emergency Management Ministry and the UN refugee agency had not responded to questions regarding the on-going resettlement exercise by press time.

Initially, MINEMA officials had confirmed the resettlement to Mahama of more than 600 families from the Kigeme camp where the ravines around the camp constituted a threat to human lives.

However, sources in both Kigeme and Gihembe camps confirmed that several other families had been moved or notified about their impending departures as more Burundian refugees vacate Mahama under the tripartite voluntary repatriation programme expected to see the number of returnees reach 40,000 by the end of the year, according to UNHCR.

The 2018 Rapid assessment for environmental management interventions in refugee camps in Rwanda had revealed the major environmental issues in and around the refugee camps in the country and more evidently in Kigeme and Gihembe.

With the latest weather prediction pointing to above normal rainfall ranging between 450 and 550 millimetres in Southern province districts including Nyamagabe just like Gicumbi in Northern Province, alongside some western parts of the country, concerns have been raised over potential losses of lives.

The refugees who spoke to Rwanda Today indicate it could take long to recover from the livelihood disruption associated with the ongoing resettlement, at a time they are grappling with effects of the 60 per cent reduction in food rations announced last month.

The families had seen their monthly cash transfers of Rwf7,600 per person reduce to only Rwf3,040 as at this month, making it hard for families to survive without additional source of income.

Cabdius Ndayisaba, one of the refugees told Rwanda Today more pains emanated from the implementation of Covid-19 preventive measures that restrict camp engagement with the neighboring communities where most earned incomes from commercial activities, and casual labor to support livelihoods.