Healing the Wounds in Rwanda: The Role of UNHCR

October 25, 2000

On October 25, 2000, the International Migration Policy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a breakfast briefing featuring Ms. Guenet Guebre-Christos, the newly appointed head of the Regional Office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the United States and the Caribbean. Ms. Guebre-Christos served as UNHCR's Representative in Rwanda from 1998 to September 2000 based in Kigali, where she oversaw the return and reintegration of Rwandan refugees and addressed the needs of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi in Rwanda. She spoke about the reintegration of refugees in Rwandan society, which is still recovering from horrific conflict. Kathleen Newland, co-director of the International Migration Policy Program, acted as the moderator.

Kathleen Newland welcomed the audience and introduced Ms. Guenet Guebre-Christos. Guebre-Christos has 18 years of experience with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and spent the last three years working in Rwanda. Her topic for this briefing was an issue of increasing importance in the refugee aid community: reconciliation and transition from a situation of conflict to stability.

Guebre-Christos noted the difficulty of reconciliation after a massive genocide. Rwandans feel bitterness toward the international community for its initial slow response, although Guebre-Christos feels that the international community was generous in helping the return of many displaced people. About 3 million refugees have returned to Rwanda with the help of international aid. UNHCR has played a major role in the nation's recovery, due to its mandate to assist refugees and also to the role provided for UNHCR by the 1993 Arusha peace accords. The Arusha accords focused on the "old cases" - the mostly Tutsi refugees who returned to Rwanda between 1994 and 1996 after decades in exile. They agreed not to reclaim any property when they returned, but many of them occupied houses that were left empty by the "new case" refugees - mostly Hutus who fled when the Rwandan Patriotic Army ousted the Hutu government in 1994. In 1996 when the new case refugees began to return, many had difficulty reclaiming their property and finding housing. UNHCR implemented a shelter program to house returnees temporarily, protecting them from violence and anchoring them in their home country. Guebre-Christos believes this program was one of the best decisions UNHCR made in Rwanda. With other organizations, UNHCR has helped the returnees build around 100,000 houses, which provided for about 500,000 families. However, there are many families still living in refugee-like situations, such as tents, severely damaged houses, and illegally occupied houses. Due to UNHCR's mandate, the agency has had to phase out its reconciliation programs, which included housing, education and health facilities, legal training, and more. UNHCR officials hope that other development agencies will take over but are concerned that, if new programs do not replace the old ones, the lack of assistance could contribute to destabilization.

Guebre-Christos believes that the repatriation of Rwandan refugees is sustainable. Most refugees have returned and stayed. From 1998 to 2000, another 60,000 returned, and more continue to do so. Guebre-Christos noted that the newest returnees - mostly Hutus who had fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - are the most vulnerable. Their conditions in the DRC were harsh, and the international community has been reluctant to provide aid to them. It appears that the international community has taken sides with the Tutsi-dominated government of Rwanda, which is not helpful to reconciliation.

When Guebre-Christos first arrived in Rwanda, efforts at reconciliation were nearly impossible. However, the Rwandan government has now established a Committee for National Unity and Reconciliation.UNHCR supports it.

Rwanda is still a fragile country. There is always something to remind people of the genocide. Guebre-Christos offered a personal example. While she worked in Rwanda, her office lost four colleagues; each one was the sole survivor of their families, so the office had to arrange their burials. Moving forward requires a lot of support from the international community, but there is very little assistance coming. There are many grassroots efforts for reconciliation, but they need consolidation. All the progress that has been so far could be lost without further help. The situation could easily slide back into violence.

The lack of shelter provides seed for further violence.Guebre-Christos offered an example of refugees who spontaneously settled in a forest. The government decided that they must leave the forest, but no one provided alternative shelter for them, so they moved into school buildings. This created a situation with potential for conflict.

UNHCR initiated a new program called "Imagine Coexistence." It includes many community-based activities in which various groups work on reconciliation. A major problem the program is dealing with is the legal ramifications of the genocide. There are 125,000 Rwandans in prison on charges of genocide. The government is working to balance the survivors' need for justice with the impossibility of trying all the accused. It has created two trust funds: one for the survivors of genocide, one for the people in prison. However, the funds are not sufficient, due to the poor state of the Rwandan economy. It is impossible to try 125,000 people through a normal system of due process. The Rwandan government is exploring "gacaca," a system of community-based judgment. It would establish five levels of genocide crimes; those suspected of level three and higher will be tried by the community. The parliament passed it, and it is under discussion by the people.

Another obstacle to long-term peace is the link between the fate of Rwanda and the DRC. Until the last year, it was difficult for UNHCR to reach the northwest region of Rwanda due to insurgencies from the DRC. Conditions have recently improved, allowing UNHCR to assist the refugees and internally displaced in that area.

In 1998, there were 650,000 internally displaced Rwandans living in camps and other sites. The government's response was to create a "villagization" program, which moved tens of thousands of families into new villages throughout the northwest. There was controversy over whether or not people were forced to the camps or went voluntarily. Much of the international community refused to fund the villages, but the government still decided to dismantle the camps and move the people to the villages. Unfortunately, the villages were not planned and lack infrastructure. Guebre-Christos fears that unless the international community provides infrastructure, the population will be displaced again in the future.

Guebre-Christos identified four other priorities for Rwanda: good governance, addressing HIV/AIDS, socioeconomic empowerment, and assisting transition.

Questions, Answers, and Comments

• Roberta Cohen from the Brookings Institution asked about the large number of widows. The laws of inheritance, which often left out women, have been reformed, but have the practices changed? What programs are there? Guebre-Christos replied that UNHCR and NGOs have a Rwanda Women's Initiative. It has difficulties with funding, yet it has still had a major impact. It was successful in helping to change the inheritance laws to allow women to inherit property. There is now an information campaign to educate women, lawyers, and teachers about women's property rights.
• Jeff Drumtra from the U.S. Committee for Refugees asked how much funding UNHCR needs in Rwanda. In 1998, UNHCR appealed for funds to build 25,000 houses, but they only received funds for 8,000 homes. In 2000, the budget was severely cut. The new returnees were not benefiting from reconciliation programs, so UNHCR decided to enhance their aid packages -- such as providing plastic sheeting and cooking utensils -- but due to funding problems is only able to give them food aid. Shelter and economic assistance are necessary. Almost 400,000 families still need shelter. Many families are headed by women or children who lack access to credit and assets. The budget for UNHCR in Rwanda for this year (which includes aid for refugees from the DRC who now live in Rwanda) was originally requested at $18 million. It was cut to $9 million, and Guebre-Christos fears further cuts.
• Chris Borow, a private consultant on human rights, asked how able the Rwandan judiciary is to deal with the backlog of legal cases and what international help they are receiving. Guebre-Christos said there are some efforts, but they are insufficient. There is an International Tribunal for Rwanda, and there are the Rwandan courts. Rwandans complain that too much of the aid for the legal system is given to the International Tribunal, which has only tried 5 of its 30 cases, whereas the national courts have tried close to 2,000 people. However, the Tribunal's job is to provide due process, which takes a long time.
• Guebre-Christos mentioned that another source of potential conflict is the animosity between francophone and anglophone Rwandans. The government has mandated that the schools will teach in French and English.
• Doug Hunter from the U.S. State Department noted the lack of resources. Donors only have so much money to give and are insisting that organizations prioritize. Some say that UNHCR should meet the basic survival needs first and leave the transitional assistance to international developmental organizations. He asked the speaker how she would suggest that the international community deal with the funding gap? Guebre-Christos responded that in Rwanda they initially had a joint-programming unit, consisting of UNHCR, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and later other organizations. It succeeded in assessing needs, but no one took responsibility for creating programs to address them. The unit became dysfunctional. The transitional issues cannot be addressed through the normal development process; they are not emergency issues, but they cannot wait for five or ten years. If organizations do not address transition problems, they can lead to a return to conflict. UNHCR's sister agencies do not currently have the mechanisms to address such issues.
• Marina Ottaway from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace asked for more information on the government's efforts at reconciliation. A year ago, the Rwandan government established a Commission on National Unity and Reconciliation to bring people together to discuss coexistence and to bring issues of concern to the government's attention. It represents a good beginning.
• Guebre-Christos noted that the gacaca process is administered by the Ministry of Justice. It is not yet operational. It is currently under national discussion. There are concerns that the community cannot be adequately objective in making judgments.
• A representative from the Office of Refugee Resettlement asked if it is realistic to hope that UNHCR can continue to be involved in transition assistance or in the future will there be a closer link between UN agencies in post-crisis situations? Guebre-Christos said they are looking for links, and there are examples of cooperation. UNHCR does not want to bear the burden of carrying out reintegration and rehabilitation. They want others to do it, but until the world decides who is in charge of such activities, UNHCR feels obligated. The services UNHCR provides in the country of origin should be equal or better than the services provided in a refugee camp.
• Kathleen Newland asked if UNHCR is coming under pressure to reduce its activities in Rwanda. It has. In 1999 UNHCR had to make it clear to the Rwandan government and its donors that, due to lack of funds, as of December 1999 it would phase out its reintegration programs. They identified the needs for a smooth transition from emergency to development. UNHCR is looking for other agencies to take over some of its reconciliation activities, but no one has found funding for it. The world needs to figure out how to deal with post-conflict countries. A quick solution is needed.
• UNHCR wants repatriation to be sustainable. Donors need to be as responsive to sustaining repatriation as they are to asylum and refugee reception issues. The refugee situation is changing, and return is often much quicker than in the past. The refugee aid and development communities need to change some of the ways they address repatriation issues.

Summary by Kerry Boyd
Junior Fellow for the International Migration Policy Program