GENEVA, Switzerland, May 24 (UPI) -- The U.N. refugee agency says the number of Rwandans returning to Congo has risen dramatically since a feared militia said it would repatriate after disarming.
The Geneva-based office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday the increased flow comes in the wake of the March 31 announcement by Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda it would disarm and return home peacefully.
An agency spokeswoman told reporters that during the past week, some 230 Rwandans volunteered to go home from the eastern forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the help of UNHCR.
"The return numbers change weekly, seemingly related to whether or not Rwandan civilians are allowed to leave FDLR-controlled areas," Jennifer Pagonis said.
More than 1,300 refugees went home from North and South Kivu provinces last month, compared with 800 in April of last year, she added.
