A Dangerous Impasse: Rwandan Refugees in Uganda
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A Dangerous Impasse: Rwandan Refugees in Uganda CITIZENSHIP AND DISPLACEMENT IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION WORKING PAPER NO. 4 JUNE 2010 International Refugee Refugee Law Project Rights Initiative C ITIZENSHIP AND D ISPLACEMENT IN THE G R E A T L AKES W O R K I N G P A P E R N O . 4 Background to the Paper This paper is the result of a co-ordinated research and writing effort between staff from the Refugee Law Project (RLP) and the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI). The paper was written by Lucy Hovil of IRRI with input from Moses Chrispus Okello of RLP and Deirdre Clancy of IRRI, particularly on the legal dimensions of the research. The field research was carried out by Joseph Okumu and Maloe Klaassen. Dismas Nkunda and Olivia Bueno of IRRI. Bill O‘Neill of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) reviewed a draft of the report and made helpful comments. We would like to express our gratitude to the National Council for Science and Technology for permission to conduct the research, and to all those who participated in the study. Citizenship and Displacement in the Great Lakes Region Working Paper Series The paper is the fourth in a series of working papers that form part of a collaborative project between the International Refugee Rights Initiative, the Social Science Research Council and civil society and academic partners in the Great Lakes region. The SSRC is pleased to be a partner in this project, but does not necessarily endorse the views or recommendations of the resulting reports. The project seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the linkages between conflicts over citizenship and belonging in the Great Lakes region, and forced displacement. It employs social science research under a human rights framework in order to illuminate how identity affects the experience of the displaced before, during, and after their displacement. The findings are intended to facilitate the development of regional policies that promote social and political re-integration of forced migrants by reconciling differences between socio- cultural identities and national citizenship rights that perpetuate conflict and social exclusion. The International Refugee Rights Initiative and the Refugee Law Project would like to thank the Open Society Institute for its generous support of this research. Cover photo: Nakivale settlement, Uganda (M. Klaassen) C ITIZENSHIP AND D ISPLACEMENT IN THE G R E A T L AKES W O R K I N G P A P E R N O . 4 Contents Summary and Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 1 Summary ................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Background .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Rwanda‘s Genocide .................................................................................................................................................. 9 The Aftermath of Genocide ..................................................................................................................................... 10 The War Is Over: Time to Return Home .................................................................................................................. 12 The Potential for Re-asserting Citizenship: A Framework for Analysis ................................................................... 14 The Legal Framework for Repatriation .................................................................................................................... 15 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Current Situation: Under Pressure to Repatriate .................................................................................................... 19 Government of Uganda and UNHCR: Creating Push Factors ................................................................................ 19 Rwanda: Strongly Promoting Repatriation .............................................................................................................. 21 Why so Reluctant to Return? .................................................................................................................................... 23 Gacaca .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Ibuka: Remembering ............................................................................................................................................... 27 Anti-Hutu Stereotypes ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Re-accessing Property ............................................................................................................................................ 29 Ongoing Political Repression ................................................................................................................................... 32 ―Genocide Ideology‖: The New Crime ..................................................................................................................... 32 If You‘re Not in the RPF, You Must Be a Rebel ....................................................................................................... 34 One-sided Justice.................................................................................................................................................... 35 Repressive Politics .................................................................................................................................................. 35 Turning a Blind Eye – Again .................................................................................................................................... 36 Ethnic Polarisation................................................................................................................................................... 37 Citizenship? ................................................................................................................................................................ 38 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................. 41 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................... 42 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary Sixteen years after the genocide in Rwanda, tens of thousands of refugees remain in exile. Over the past few years these refugees have come under increasing pressure to return to Rwanda: they are an ongoing reminder of ethnic tensions that are supposed to have been addressed, and the Government of Rwanda has strongly pursued the return of all of its citizens accordingly. The country is enjoying stability and economic growth, so there is no reason for anyone to remain in exile. Yet many continue to resist return. This paper examines why one group of Rwandan refugees,1 those living in Nakivale settlement in Uganda‘s southwest, refuse to return.2 The push factors are considerable. Despite the official emphasis on voluntariness, refugees are feeling under considerable pressure from the governments of Uganda and Rwanda and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to repatriate, in particular as a result of the announcement of ―deadlines‖ for repatriation.3 Rwandan refugees told of how they have had their land re-allocated to Congolese refugees, have seen their rations reduced and are no longer allowed access to some social services available to other refugees.4 Many live in constant fear of being forcibly repatriated and some have resorted to hiding their belongings and sleeping in the bush. So why are they refusing to return? The findings point to a number of reasons, all of which relate in some way to the fact that they believe that if they return to Rwanda they will not be safe, let alone have equal access to their rights as citizens of the country. Overwhelmingly, the refugees view the current Rwandan government as repressive. There was frequent reference to the fact that dissent in many aspects of public and economic life is not tolerated, and that those who question the regime are subjected to human rights violations ranging from discrimination in employment to imprisonment and forced disappearance. Specifically, ethnicity is being used as a basis for repression. The findings suggest that the genocide – and the legacy of guilt, heart-searching and recriminations that have surrounded it – is being used by the Government of Rwanda as a smokescreen for political repression, particularly through the association of Hutu identity with the genocide. Images of Hutu brutality during the genocide are evoked to mute criticism. As a result, the accusation of participation in the genocide has become one of the most feared instruments of repression. In