Jambo ASBL, which was founded in Belgium in 2008, is largely composed of descendants of individuals who participated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The organisation has for years said it advocates for Rwandan refugees and seeks ways for them to return to Rwanda in accordance with international law. The Rwandan government, however, maintains that it has never prevented Rwandans who wish to return from doing so.
Rwanda receives civilians returning to the country as well as former members of armed groups operating in eastern DRC, including former FDLR combatants.

Those who surrender are provided with support intended to help them reintegrate into civilian life and live peacefully alongside the communities where they settle.

The latest disagreement follows the DRC government's announcement of an agreement with the FDLR on the disarmament and demobilisation of the group's fighters.

Rwanda has rejected the agreement, describing it as a diversion from the security threat posed by the FDLR and questioning the ongoing collaboration between Kinshasa and the terrorist group.

Rwanda has also reminded the DRC that its agreement with the FDLR is not provided for in the peace agreements signed by Rwanda and the DRC in Washington in June and December 2025, with the support of the United States.

On August 6, Jambo ASBL welcomed the agreement between the DRC and FDLR, describing it as an “important political step” in the implementation of the Washington peace agreements.

The organisation said lasting peace in the region cannot be achieved without resolving the issue of Rwandan refugees.

It argued that Rwandans who fled after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi should be given the opportunity to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity.

Jambo's position bears similarities to recent statements by Cure Ngoma, the political spokesperson of the FDLR, who explained some of the provisions of the agreement between the group and the DRC government.

The FDLR has repeatedly presented the issue of Rwandan refugees as one of the reasons behind its continued activities, arguing that a political solution to the refugee question should come before the group's complete dismantling.

Security analysts in the Great Lakes region have, however, argued that the FDLR has used the refugee issue as a means of justifying its continued existence, while Rwanda maintains that the armed group must be dismantled.

As the FDLR faced the prospect of being dismantled, it did everything possible to hold Rwandans who wanted to return home hostage, forcibly recruiting some of them, particularly young people and boys, into its ranks.

Following the AFC/M23 coalition's capture of large parts of North Kivu, including Goma, many Rwandans who had been held by the FDLR were released and assisted in returning to Rwanda.

Jambo ASBL criticised the AFC/M23's actions in helping the Rwandans return, a position that has drawn scrutiny because the releases reduced one of the arguments that had been used to justify the continued presence of the FDLR.

The organisation called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, to protect the Rwandans against what it described as forced repatriation.

The description, however, ignores the fact that UNHCR and MONUSCO were involved in facilitating the return of some of the Rwandans, where their involvement demonstrates that the returns were not carried out in violation of international law.

The FDLR, which has operated in eastern DRC for decades, has carried out attacks against Rwanda and been accused of serious abuses in the DRC. The group's history and leadership are also closely associated with individuals linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The group continues to promote genocide ideology in the region and considers its presence a security threat rather than a refugee issue.

The government has therefore rejected attempts to frame the FDLR primarily through the refugee question.

While Jambo ASBL and the FDLR place the question of Rwandan refugees at the centre of their positions, Rwanda insists that the armed group's military presence, ideology and activities make it fundamentally a security issue.