Yolande Makolo Quotes

Rwanda as a country believes in free movement of people, hence the open visa and visa on arrival policy for Africans, members of the Commonwealth and others looking to come into the country. This is a vision Rwanda shares with other countries under the African Union -to make the continent accessible for those wishing to come to compete for the opportunities Africa has to offer and develop along with others.

“Rwanda is a welcoming country; we have been for decades now. We also have people come here to go to school or to start businesses. And we are open to that. Our migration policy is quite open,

Rwanda has received members of the School of Leadership of Afghanistan (SOLA), that first Afghan girls boarding school, who moved from Kabul to Rwanda for their own safety after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, all of which goes to show that Rwanda is safe. They’ve been here, close to two years and they live amongst us and the school started running immediately when they got here, and they’re bringing in new Afghani girls from refugee camps all over the world to join the school,”

In the last almost 30 years, we’ve welcomed a lot of refugees to Rwanda. We have over 130,000 refugees who live here, mostly Congolese and Burundians, and in smaller numbers people from elsewhere on the continent and beyond, “We are not new to this kind of situation where people are coming in seeking safety and opportunity. We have we partnered with the UNHCR and the African Union to evacuate migrants, mostly Africans, who were stuck in Libya when the war started,”

Rwandans know what it is to be on the move, or to be displaced, just because of the history of our country,” Makolo said, reiterating why the country maintains an open policy for refugees, asylum seekers and other categories of people in need of safety,

Rwandans have been refugees for 30 years from 1959 and the post-1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which saw millions more displaced to different neighbouring countries and beyond but later came back.

The country cannot be deterred by different opinions from elsewhere because Rwanda and Rwandans know what it means to be a refugee or asylum seeker, and cannot abandon those in dire need for safety.

Rwanda will continue to play its role as a safe place for people, especially refugees and asylum seekers from across the globe looking for a place to call home. That is regardless of a recent court decision in the UK that purportedly deemed the country ‘unsafe’ for refugees.

The Government of Rwanda urges the Government of Burundi to address their concerns through diplomatic channels where they can be resolved amicably,”

The Government of Rwanda rejects comments by H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi, alleging Rwandan support for Burundian armed rebel groups based in Eastern DRC. Rwanda is not associated, in any way, with any Burundian armed group,” the statement read in part.

There was “no truth whatsoever in Burundian President’s allegation referring to Rwanda.”

MONUSCO, which has been in DRC since 1999, has since come under fire from Congolese populations who accuse it of failing the country. Until recently, MONUSCO had said that there is no evidence that Rwanda is involved in the renewed insurgency in Eastern DRC.

The report authored by ‘independent experts’ reveals nothing new and falls short of addressing the root cause of the conflict in Eastern DRC, which is the existence of armed groups, including the FDLR which has operated there since 1994, despite the existence of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

We don’t think it’s immoral to offer a home to people, something that we have done here for more than 30 years and we’re doing this for the right reasons. So, people may have their own opinions about what this program is like, depending on where they come from, “But from where are we coming from, we’re doing this for the right reasons. We want Rwanda to be a welcoming place and we’ll do our best, to make sure that the migrants are taken care of, and that they’re able to build a life here,

We will give them an opportunity to see what it’s like to live in this country. We do not consider living in Rwanda as a punishment. We don’t think anyone should,