KIGALI, Rwanda

Over 500 Rwandan refugees returned to the country on Monday from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities said.

Some 533 returnees, the majority of whom were women and children, were transported to a transit center in western Rwanda’s Rusizi district before being reintegrated into communities, the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement on the US social media company X.

This is the first group of refugees to be repatriated under an agreement signed last month between Rwanda, Congo, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to respect refugees’ right to voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin.

The returnees have been living in a temporary camp in Goma, eastern Congo, which is currently controlled by M23 rebels.

In a post on X, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said: “Despite the noise made by some Western spoilers, it's good to note that Rwandan refugees, most of whom were previously held hostages by the FDLR genocidal force in eastern DRC, continue to return home.”

Last month, Rwanda and Congo committed to enabling the safe and voluntary return of refugees in view of recent diplomatic efforts, notably the Washington-brokered peace agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali, as well as the declaration of principles signed on July 19 in Doha between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels.