Brussels, 6 August 2026
Jambo ASBL welcomes the signing of the Protocol on Disarmament, Demobilization and Cantonment between the FDLR and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the implementation of the Washington Agreements.
Without prejudging the outcome of this process, our organization considers that this Protocol represents an important political development. It reflects a growing recognition of a reality that has long been overlooked: no lasting peace in the Great Lakes region can be achieved without a political solution to the plight of Rwandan refugees.
Since its establishment in 2008, Jambo ASBL has worked to defend the rights of Rwandan refugees and to promote solutions enabling their voluntary, safe and dignified return. More than thirty years after the beginning of their exile in 1994, over 240,000 Rwandan refugees remain officially registered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while their actual number is estimated to exceed 500,000. For decades, these refugee populations have remained largely absent from major diplomatic initiatives despite continuing to live in conditions of extreme vulnerability. Since the resurgence of conflict in eastern DRC in 2021, they have been among the primary victims of violence, forced displacement, deportations, and serious human rights violations documented by the United Nations and other international organizations.
For Jambo ASBL, this political development represents an opportunity that must now be translated into concrete progress by all stakeholders. Achieving lasting peace in the Great Lakes region requires an internal political solution in Rwanda, including a dignified resolution of the Rwandan refugee issue and the creation of the conditions necessary for their voluntary, safe and dignified return. Only under these conditions can the objectives of peace, stability and prosperity embodied in the Washington Agreements be fully realized.
In this spirit, Jambo ASBL calls upon all stakeholders, including organizations entrusted with protection mandates, in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and MONUSCO, to prevent and unequivocally condemn any deportation or forced return of Rwandan refugees from territories under the control of the AFC/M23. Full respect for international refugee law is entirely consistent with the spirit of the Washington Agreements and constitutes an essential element in building confidence between refugees, refugee-led organizations and the actors involved in this process.
Jambo ASBL will continue its advocacy efforts so that an increasing number of national and international actors recognize that resolving the Rwandan refugee crisis is an indispensable condition for achieving lasting peace in the Great Lakes region. Our organization welcomes the growing recognition of an approach that it has consistently advocated since its creation and which is now increasingly reflected in ongoing diplomatic efforts.
After more than three decades of exile, Rwandan refugees can no longer remain the forgotten victims of peace efforts. Jambo ASBL will continue to work alongside all stakeholders to ensure that this momentum leads to concrete progress toward building a just and lasting peace for all the peoples of the Great Lakes region.
Marie Odile Umutesi
Board Member for Human Rights and Refugee Affairs