Hundreds of Rwandan refugees living in eastern Congo have been repatriated on Saturday since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Local authorities said that most of the refugees were women and children, with 360 of them crossing the border on buses provided by Rwandan authorities and accompanied by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the aid group saved the children. UNHCR said the goal is to repatriate 2,000 people.

"We are delighted to welcome our fellow countrymen. They are a valuable workforce for the development of the country," Lubawa Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said during a brief ceremony at the border.

Returnees are transported to transit centers where they will receive emergency assistance and support reintegration.

They are thousands of Hutu people who fled Rwanda in the 1994 state-sponsored genocide that was killed by a million minority tutsis and moderate Hutus. Most returned when the Rwandan army led by Tutsi first invaded Congo in 1996. But the Rwandan authorities said thousands of Hutu militia and former soldiers remained and joined the Congolese army, steadily steadily.

For decades, mineral-rich eastern Congo has been torn apart by violence by government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 whose recent recovery has escalated the conflict and exacerbated the already sharp humanitarian crisis.

According to UN experts, the rebels were supported by about 4,000 soldiers from neighboring Rwanda.

Among Rwanda returnees, personal testimony highlights the journey marked by exile and has a deep connection to homes that some have never known.

Nyirakajumba is expected to be born in Congo in 1996 and has never seen Rwanda.

"I never thought I would come this day," he said. "I finally returned to my ancestors' land."

The repatriation is based on a tripartite agreement between Rwanda, Congo and UNHCR, which has been around for more than a decade. According to Rwandan authorities, more than 101,000 refugees have been repatriated, including 1,500 since the beginning of 2025.