In May, hundreds of Rwandan returnees were received
The United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR) has warned that Rwanda could receive up to 10,000 returnees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the end of 2025—nearly triple the original estimate.
This marks a significant increase from the previous average of about 350 returnees per month.
According to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) June 2025 country brief, the country had already received around 2,500 returnees between April and July, far exceeding what humanitarian agencies had anticipated for that period.
The rising number is linked to ongoing instability in eastern DRC, where violence and political tension continue to displace communities, pushing many Rwandans who had sought refuge there to come back home.
WFP and Rwanda’s Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) have already begun responding to the growing humanitarian need.
The agencies are providing cash assistance, in-kind food support, and coordinating efforts to screen returnees for malnutrition, while helping them reintegrate into local communities.
The update, however, highlights a concerning lack of resources.
WFP had only planned to support 3,600 returnees this year, meaning the current funding and food stocks are already stretched. The agency is calling for urgent support to meet the growing needs.
If additional funding is not secured soon, the WFP warns it may have to cut or suspend key services, not only for returnees but also for refugees and vulnerable host communities.
The agency currently requires $10 million immediately and $13.3 million in total to maintain food and nutrition support across its programmes in Rwanda through December 2025.
The increase in returnees adds to the already heavy burden Rwanda carries as a host country to over 136,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from DRC and Burundi.
Many of them have lived in Rwanda for decades and remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.
