The Cessation Clause for Rwandan Refugees in Uganda
- February 13, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue I, January 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
The Cessation Clause for Rwandan Refugees in Uganda
Uwineza Mimi Harriet
Makerere University, Uganda
This research highlighted the different positions, opinions and/or views from the Rwandan people living in exile in Uganda. These views were about the Cessation clause set to be officially invoked by the UNHCR June 2013. The study argues that the implementation of the Cessation Clause to put an end to the refugee status of the concerned group will affect different categories of people. The background to the study shows the presence of Rwandan refugees in different part of Uganda. The study underlined the complexity of this decision in the sense that the group concerned is made of different categories of people, those former refugees who came in Uganda following the 1959 events; then those who came following the 1994 genocide and in between the two major events and even after 1994, some Rwandans came individually as refugees with particular reasons. There is also a group of Rwandans who were born in Uganda from the former refugees. Some know Rwanda for having been there whereas other always hear about the country but have never got chance to step there.
The study established that most refugees of Rwandan origin do not want to go back to their country come June 2013. Among the major reasons they give, there are: the economic issues and poverty in their country; the socio-political tensions within the country, lack of information about Rwanda. As for the solutions they envisaged, some pleaded for a voluntary repatriation for those who wish to go; the majority of them were in favor of integration within the host country, Uganda. Only few of them saw the resettlement to a third country as a solution to their problems.
