A second batch of 507 Burundian refugees who were settled in Rwanda since 2015 have been voluntarily repatriated, according to the UN refugees agency statement obtained Friday by APA in Kigali.This voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees after  their  Congolese peers  settled in various refugee camps of Kiziba (West)  and  Gihembe (North of Rwanda) have also been seeking to be repatriated  home  despite objection by Rwandan officials over security concern which  is  still prevailing in their home village.

Departing  Burundian  refugees were tested for COVID-19 before boarding and sitting  in  accordance to Rwanda’s measures in the fight against COVID-19  spread.

While  some refugees commended the hospitality  they enjoyed while in Rwanda,   the majority of them fled the country  following the political crisis  that gripped Burundi in 2015 when the  then President, the late Pierre  Nkurunziza decided to seek a third  term, leading to countrywide protests  as people opposed the move.

However,  some of the refugees who  decided to remain in Rwanda for security  reasons have accused Burundian  President Ndayishimiye of peddling lies,  stoking conflict in the region  instead working towards unifying the  country and restoring relations  with neighbouring countries.

Representatives  of Burundian  refugees said that the Burundian leader failed to live up  to the promise  he made during his swearing-in ceremony in June this  year, during which  he declared that he will ensure that all Burundian  refugees who were  still in neighbouring countries would return home, in  a bid to reconcile  the country.

The new accusations  follow recent comments made by  Burundian President Evariste  Ndayishimiye who said that his government  will not seek to make friends  with a country which he did not name,  which harbours his country’s  enemies and holds Burundian refugees at  ransom.

So far, UNHCR has registered 1,800 of nearly 72,000 Burundian refugees in Rwanda who wish to be repatriated.

The   ongoing repatriation exercise comes into force after over 330  Burundian  refugees appealed for a dignified and lawful return to their  home  country, in a petition to the new Burundian President, Evariste   Ndayishimiye.