Rwandan asylum-seekers face repatriation

Refugees from Rwanda whose requests for asylum in Switzerland have been rejected can now be sent home. The federal refugee office said it had changed its policy after re-evaluating the situation in Rwanda. It said 160 people were affected by the decision.

Refugees from Rwanda whose requests for asylum in Switzerland have been rejected can now be sent home. The federal refugee office said it had changed its policy after re-evaluating the situation in Rwanda. It said 160 people were affected by the decision.

So far, Rwandan refugees whose case had been dismissed, have been allowed to stay in Switzerland temporarily. But the refugee office said the situation in Rwanda had altered sufficiently to warrant the change. It said other western countries had reached a similar conclusion.

The office said 160 people whose asylum requests had been turned down now faced repatriation, but added it would assess each case individually.

The United Nations estimates that between 500,000 and 800,000 people were killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Since then, about 500 refugees from Rwanda have sought asylum in Switzerland – with almost a quarter being granted admittance.

From staff and wire reports