About 500 Burundian refugees living in Rwanda returned to their home country on Thursday, the first group to return after 5 years in exile following deadly political violence sent many fleeing.
Hundreds of people were killed in the turmoil following the late President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision in 2015 to seek a third term, according to the UN.
Some Burundian refugees told The Associated Press that they are hopeful that they can rebuild their lives now that a new president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, has taken power.
The desire to return home, however, is not shared by most refugees however, according to a peacebuilder in Burundi who spoke to charity Peace Insight under condition of anonymity.
Ndayishimiye took office in June after winning the election. His swearing-in was moved up by several weeks after Nkurunziza died of a heart attack, according to the government.
The new president has invited all those in exile to return and build a new nation.
Neighboring Rwanda currently hosts close to 72,000 refugees, and 471 of them on Thursday started their journey home.
Rwanda's government said this was the first organized voluntary repatriation process, and the country will collaborate with the UN refugee agency on similar operations as more refugees wish to go home.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: [ Ссылка ]
QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL:
Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake
Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake
Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake
Subscribe to our newsletter: [ Ссылка ]
Email us at quicktakenews@gmail.com
QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.
