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Zimbabwe: Whether the government of Zimbabwe began deporting Rwandan refugees in April 2004 following an earlier government decision that it was safe enough for them to be repatriated

In 2002, following its assessment that conditions in Rwanda had improved, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) changed its policy concerning the repatriation of Rwandan refugees from "facilitating" voluntary return to "promoting" voluntary return (UN n.d.; AI 15 Dec. 2004; see also UN 2005, 94). Between 2002 and 2006, the Government of Rwanda, the UNHCR and several refugee-hosting countries signed tripartite agreements outlining procedures for the voluntary repatriation of Rwandan refugees (UN n.d.). Countries that signed these tripartite agreements included Burundi, the Central African Republic, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (UN n.d.), Mozambique and the Republic of the Congo (UN 2005, 94).

The government of Zimbabwe signed its tripartite agreement in 2003 (UN 2005, 94; ibid. 10 Dec. 2003), with repatriation of Rwandan refugees to begin by mid-2004 (ibid.). Cited in a 30 June 2004 article in the Harare-based newspaper The Herald, a Zimbabwean government official indicated that, following a visit to Rwanda in December 2003, Zimbabwean officials "were convinced that the conditions [in Rwanda] were conducive for repatriation." He also indicated that "Zimbabwe was eager to help and ensure a smooth voluntary repatriation exercise and was committed to observe its responsibilities as a country of asylum" (The Herald 30 June 2004). However, according to a 6 May 2004 article in the Harare-based The Financial Gazette, Rwandan refugees were reluctant to return to Rwanda (see also UN 2005, 94). Some refugees reportedly told UNCHR officials in Harare that they "feared for their lives if they returned to Kigali" (The Financial Gazette 6 May 2004).

Although there have been reports of Rwandan refugees being forcibly deported from certain countries that have signed tripartite agreements (AI 15 Dec. 2004; Refugee Law Project 10 Mar. 2005; VOANews 5 Oct. 2007), information on whether Rwandan refugees have been forcibly repatriated from Zimbabwe could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In an 18 March 2008 telephone interview, an official at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Ottawa stated that individuals from Rwanda (or any other country) who are granted refugee status in Zimbabwe are not deported unless they are "criminals."

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International (AI). 15 December 2004. "Rwanda – Protecting Their Rights: Rwandese Refugees in the Great Lakes Region." (AFR47/016/2004) <http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR47/016/2004/en/0c5b2045-a397-11dc-9d08-f145a8145d2b/afr470162004en.pdf> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]

The Financial Gazette [Harare]. 6 May 2004. "Rwandan Refugees Refuse to Go Home." (Zimbabwe Situation) <http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/may6a_2004.html> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]

The Herald [Harare]. 30 June 2004. "Rwanda Safe for Refugees to Return, Says Delegation." (Factiva)

Refugee Law Project [Kampala, Uganda]. 10 March 2005. ", No Forcible Return of Refugees to Rwanda." (AllAfrica) <http://allafrica.com/stories/200503110777.html> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]

United Nations (UN). 2005. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "Rwanda." UNHCR Global Appeal 2005. <http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/41ab28e0c.pdf> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]
_____. 10 December 2003. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "Rwanda-Zimbabwe: Harare, Kigali and UNHCR Sign Tripartite Agreement." <http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=47614> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]
_____. N.d. UN Rwanda. "From Facilitation to Promotion of Rwandan Refugees: UNHCR's Policy Shift in Rwanda." <http://www.unrwanda.org/agencies/unhcr1.html> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]

Voice of America (VOA) News. 5 October 2007. "Uganda Deports 3,000 Rwandan Refugees." <http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-10/2007-10-05-voa38.cfm?CFID=284989541&CFTOKEN=25954080> [Accessed 18 Mar. 2008]

Zimbabwe. 18 March 2008. Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Ottawa. Telephone interview with an official.

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Kingdom Home Office, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United States Department of State, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Zimbabwe Ministry of Foreign Affairs.