The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is reporting that thousands of Rwandan asylum seekers who fled to neighbouring Burundi over the last few months have been forced to return home. Trucks laden with people have been seen leaving the camp, and some people have broken limbs after allegedly jumping to avoid returning to Rwanda. "The use of verbal or physical threats to induce people to return to countries where they fear persecution is in complete contravention of international law — in particular the binding principle of non-refoulement ," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. The Rwandan asylum seekers began arriving in Burundi in March. Their main concern was the Gacaca courts , village courts established to expedite prosecution of perpretators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide . The UNHCR is also reporting that some asylum seekers "... said they were fleeing threats, intimidation, persecution and rumours of revenge and bloodshed." "People here believe in the Gacaca process. They say that people have fled now because the investigations are reaching their end and people now know that the are going to be exposed in the process. They have heard 'rumours' that may have been circulated by former leaders of the genocide - or there may not have been rumours they may merely fear the trials - that there will be reprisals and violence," she said.
The United Nations is reporting that thousands of Rwandan who fled to neighbouring Burundi over the last few months have been forced to return home. Trucks laden with people have been seen leaving the camp, and some people have broken limbs after allegedly jumping to avoid returning to Rwanda. "The use of verbal or physical threats to induce people to return to countries where they fear persecution is in complete contravention of international law — in particular the binding principle of ," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. The Rwandan asylum seekers began arriving in Burundi in March. Their main concern was the , village courts established to expedite prosecution of perpretators of the 1994 . The UNHCR is also reporting that some asylum seekers "... said they were fleeing threats, intimidation, persecution and rumours of revenge and bloodshed." "People here believe in the Gacaca process. They say that people have fled now because the investigations are reaching their end and people now know that the are going to be exposed in the process. They have heard 'rumours' that may have been circulated by former leaders of the genocide — or there may not have been rumours they may merely fear the trials - that there will be reprisals and violence," she said.
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High Commissioner for Refugees
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asylum seekers
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non-refoulement
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Gacaca courts
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Rwandan genocide
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