Paper short abstract:

Contemporary political violence in the post-colonial states of Great Lakes Africa has produced many refugees who have become a source of instability in the region. This paper proposes to revisit the management of this issue in Rwanda, Burundi and DRC both nationally and internationally.

Paper long abstract:

As early as 1959, Rwanda produced the first refugees on the African continent. In the 1960s, the rebellions and secessions in eastern Congo led to the exile of many populations who sought asylum in neighboring countries. It was the same for Burundi from 1972.

To begin with, this paper shows the scale of the refugee issue that has gradually become the cause and consequences of contemporary violence in Great Lakes Africa.

We will then see how the countries concerned have tried to resolve the problems with the support of the international community through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and cooperation assistance.

We will finally note that despite the establishment of regional mechanisms for conflict prevention and management by the East African community (EAC) or the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), refugees are always a threat of instability, which should be given special attention.