Regional

Rwandans abroad not forced to return home but mobilized to participate in country’s development

2023-11-01 05:30:00

Thousands of people participated in 2019 Rwanda Day in Bonn, Germany.

Some baseless allegations are on many occasions raised by so-called rights groups – Human Rights Watch and others – against Rwanda, accusing the country’s leadership of forcing Rwandans living abroad to return home. What they deliberately fail to mention is the fact that Rwanda is happy with diaspora’s contribution to its development.

Regarding the tragic history of Rwanda which led to many people fleeing to foreign countries escaping persecution perpetrated by irresponsible leadership, thousands of Rwandans had lived abroad as refugees until 2013, when Rwanda ended the refugee status of Rwandans who had left the country before November 1998.

Since then, Rwandans abroad live there on their will. They are referred to as Rwanda’s community abroad, not refugees. No Rwandan refugees exist today.

Rwandans, like other people from all around the world, can live anywhere but not forget about their fatherland. They willingly play a big role in the socio-economic development of Rwanda.

According to the 2022 World Bank report on global remittances, Rwanda’s diaspora contribution to the country’s economy has seen a steady rise over the past five years.

Rwandans living and working abroad sent remittances worth $469 million to the country, representing a 3.9 per cent of GDP in 2022.

In 2021, Rwandan diaspora sent $391 million to the country, increasing from $215 million in 2017.

The diaspora contributes to Agaciro Development Fund, the country's sovereign wealth fund initiated in December 2011. They have also contributed to different other developmental projects like the Cana Challenge, an initiative aimed at extending solar energy to needy families; and Connect Rwanda, a campaign to drive smartphone penetration in the country, among others.

Rwanda Capital Market Authority, supported by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launched a programme to encourage the diaspora community to explore the saving and investment opportunities available in their home country.

Kigali acknowledges the crucial role played by diaspora in financial, virtual and physical transfers, image building, good governance, as well as trade and investments areas.

Why then would Rwanda be forcing its diaspora to return home? This allegation is absolutely irrational and politically motivated by the so-called rights groups’ anti-Rwanda agenda.

Take the example of Human Rights Watch, a US-based political tool being used to bully countries who refused to dance to the West’s tune.

“The Rwandan government’s outreach goes beyond opportunities to reconnect and involves threats, surveillance, and harassment, as the government seeks to pressure Rwandans who do not support the RPF, including refugees and asylum seekers who have sought international protection from the Rwandan government itself,” reads part of HRW’s October report.

The HRW discourse on Rwanda has been viscerally hostile to the RPF, which defeated the genocidal Hutu Power regime, in 1994.

It is systematically biased in favour of letting unrepentant Hutu Power political forces and genocide ideologues back into Rwandan political life.

In the guise of human rights work, HRW has unilaterally mounted a relentless campaign against Kigali.

Rwandans living abroad are never forced to return home, but mobilized to willingly participate in programmes that aim at accelerating Rwanda’s development.