09/28/2004

The convoy is ready to depart. Seven trucks made their way to the temporary shelter identified in a former warehouse in Uvira. Now the challenge is to provide basic services on the site. Water has been provided by MONUC.

The unexpected return of this group of refugees poses a series of questions to the humanitarian community. Should they assist this group outside the overall tripartite framework risking creation of additional frustration among the local community, or wait until the starting of the repatriation process within the tripartite agreement framework that would benefit all Congolese refugees living in Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania? That frustration increased since the Bukavu incidents in June when, according to the local perception, MONUC failed to use its Chapter 7 mandate when needed