"REPATRIATE OR INTEGRATE" - BURUNDIAN REFUGEES IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000262 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF RW SUBJECT: "REPATRIATE OR INTEGRATE" - BURUNDIAN REFUGEES IN RWANDA GIVEN TWO CHOICES Classified By: DCM Sim for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Representatives from the Governments of Rwanda (GOR) and Burundi (GOB) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) held a tripartite meeting in Kigali on April 22 to discuss the repatriation of the 2,024 Burundian refugees currently residing in the Kigeme Camp in Rwanda's Nyamagabe District. In the communique issued following the meeting, the participants reiterated their desire that the refugees' repatriation be voluntary, and take place under conditions of "security and dignity." Citing the improved security situation in Burundi as justification for the commencement of voluntary repatriation, the communique called for the closure of Kigeme camp by May 31, 2009. The communique offered a timeline of activities ahead of the closure, including an information campaign to encourage refugees to resettle voluntarily and the issuance of small grants and support packages to assist them. A delegation of officials from the meeting visited Kigeme on April 23 to relay the outcome to the refugees, and to inform them of their options - repatriate, or integrate locally. ¶2. (C) In a separate meeting with EmbOffs April 23, UNHCR Country Representative Annette Nyekan expressed some reservations about the final outcome of the repatriation effort, saying the GOR was not addressing sufficiently some concerns of camp inhabitants. Given the fundamental principle of voluntary repatriation, she said GOR officials would not let Burundian refugees who did not agree to voluntarily repatriate or integrate locally transfer to other camps in Rwanda. Nyekan said she would propose they be transferred to one of the two currently empty refugee transit centers in Rwanda as an intermediate measure. Otherwise, she said, "it would be a forced return," for those who do not chose to integrate. She also noted some camp residents have unrealistic expectations of resettlement in western countries. ¶3. (SBU) Comment. The GOR, the GOB, and UNHCR seem to be in agreement that the Burundian refugees should either return to Burundi or settle in Rwanda. The imminent closure of the Kigeme camp, which opened in 1995 and holds some refugees who originally fled Burundi in 1972, may be the necessary step to encourage their repatriation. For some Burundians, however, the voluntary return will be a reluctant one. End comment. SYMINGTON