For immediate release

Kigali, 30 October 2025

Today, the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) will hold the 75th official discharge ceremony for ex-members of armed groups, including former FDLR combatants, at the Mutobo Demobilization Centre in Musanze District, in continued demonstration of Rwanda’s longstanding commitment to the repatriation and reintegration of ex-combatants.

The cohort of 143 individuals has successfully completed the Pre-Discharge Orientation Program and will be facilitated to return to civilian life. Also graduating today are 135 ex-combatants who have completed vocational skills training at the centre’s Mutobo TVET School, and will receive toolkits to enable their prompt integration into economic activity.

The RDRC has continuously received and supported repatriated former FDLR combatants and their families for more than two decades, and stands ready to receive new combatants who repatriate to Rwanda, including members of the FDLR currently in the DRC, who have been urged to return to Rwanda in the recent announcement by the Government of the DRC. 

Since 2001, a total of 12,602 adult ex-members of armed groups have been demobilized. The program has provided thousands of former combatants and their families with comprehensive support, including civic education, vocational training, and socioeconomic reintegration support.

As part of efforts to raise awareness on Rwanda’s preparedness to receive ex-combatants, the RDRC has continuously broadcast a weekly program, “Isange mu banyu”, every Sunday afternoon on Radio Rwanda (accessible in eastern DRC), which provides information and testimonies from former FDLR members who have successfully returned. These broadcasts serve as an important tool for sensitizing remaining combatants and refugees in the DRC about the opportunities for voluntary return and reintegration in Rwanda.

The RDRC is committed to contributing to Rwanda’s pursuit of regional peace and stability through non-military measures, and remains a cornerstone of Rwanda’s national reconciliation efforts.

END