Rwanda has received seven former combatants of the FDLR terrorist group, along with their family members, repatriated on 10 November 2025 by MONUSCO, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The group had spent three days at a temporary transit facility in Goma that hosts fighters who surrender their weapons and seek to return to civilian life. According to MONUSCO, a total of 49 Rwandans were recently repatriated and expressed happiness about returning home, urging their compatriots still in the forests to lay down arms and embrace peace.
Between January and October 2025, MONUSCO facilitated the return of 54 former Rwandan fighters from the DRC, most of them from the FDLR, together with 44 members of their families.
One of those repatriated this year said, “Life in the forests is unbearable. That’s why I encourage my brothers and sisters to surrender to MONUSCO so they can return home peacefully and safely.”
Upon arrival in Rwanda, the former fighters are transferred to the Mutobo Demobilization and Reintegration Centre operated by the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) in Musanze District, where they undergo training to help them reintegrate and rebuild their lives.
On 30 October, the RDRC reintegrated 143 former FDLR fighters back into Rwandan communities after completing three to six months of rehabilitation and reintegration programs. The Commission emphasized its continued commitment to supporting any fighters willing to return in peace.
