Fleeing Conflict, Congolese asylum seekers Find Hope in Nkamira Transit Site

Yvonne, 24, and her 5-year-old daughter recently arrived at Nkamira transit centre located in northwestern Rwanda after spending a year at an Internally Displaced Camp (IDP) in Goma, DRC.

“There were rumors that armed groups would burn down the camp, so fearing for our lives, we decided to come to Rwanda since it was no longer safe for us,” says Yvonne.

Back home, Yvonne managed a small retail shop selling beans and potatoes. Despite the modest income, she managed to make ends meet. However, when fighting intensified in 2023, Yvonne was forced to abandon her home. Her journey began at an IDP camp in Eastern DRC, where she stayed with her cousin until his tragic death forced her to move again, ultimately leading her to cross the border into Rwanda.

Canisius, a Congolese refugee in Nyabiheke refugee camp playing guitar

© UNHCR/Eric Didier Karinganire

By mid-May 2024, over 14,000 asylum seekers like Yvonne have fled from DRC to Rwanda since early 2023. Initially asylum seekers are received at Nkamira transit centre, located just 20km from the border with Goma, before being relocated to existing refugee camps in Rwanda.

While over 8,000 asylum seekers were relocated in 2023, Nkamira currently hosts 6,363 individuals, some of whom have been in the transit centre for many months as space and shelter in existing camps are quickly running out.

UNHCR data reveals that 83 percent of the new asylum seekers are women and children, including people like Mukunzi, and her siblings, aged only 4 and 8 years old who were thrust into the heart of turmoil in their once-peaceful hometown of Mushaki.

Mukunzi, a fourth-year high school student, was separated from her parents with her two younger siblings when she was forced to flee. After a year of living in an IDP camp near Goma, she decided to cross into Rwanda due to growing concerns for her and her siblings’ safety.

Sometimes the locals would throw stones into the camps, or when we went out to buy food and look for jobs, we would get harassed and insulted

Mukunzi

“Sometimes the locals would throw stones into the camps, or when we went out to buy food and look for jobs, we would get harassed and insulted,” recounts Mukunzi.

Both Yvonne and Mukunzi had to pay $20 per person to cross the border, a sum often out of reach for others in similar situations in Eastern DRC.

Despite the efforts made by UNHCR to cater to the growing needs of these new asylum seekers, access to necessities like medicine, food supplies, and bedding in Nkamira transit centre remains a persistent issue. The lack of adequate shelter has resulted in overcrowding, making it difficult for people to maintain proper hygiene and privacy.

Yet amidst these challenges, there is a ray of hope.

Through support from donors such as the United States and European humanitarian aid, UNHCR is able to run informal education programmes for asylum seeker children and youth living at Nkamira. Health care services are also available alongside psychosocial support to help asylum seekers such as Yvonne and Mukunzi process the circumstances they have fled.

As they await registration and potential relocation to more established refugee camps in Rwanda, there is optimism that, with sustained support and solidarity, they can build new lives in safety and dignity.