Kigali, 4 June 2014
President Kagame today received the UNHCR representative in Rwanda, Neimah Warsame who called to bid him farewell at the conclusion of her tour of duty. The UNHCR representative has been in Rwanda for more than three years and will be heading to Uganda for her new posting.
Speaking to press after the meeting, the UNHCR representative said:
“I have been in Rwanda for three years and three months and I came to bid the President farewell and to express the gratitude of the UNHCR for the exemplary leadership when it comes to the asylum institute in Rwanda which is not only maintained, but i is absolutely preserved. We also wanted to express our gratitude for the unmatched generosity of the leadership and Rwandan people when it comes to hosting refugees. I have worked in different countries but what happens in Rwanda is an exemplary model.”
She said UNHCR and herself had accessibility to the leadership at all levels which made the work of the UN agency easy, allowing the resolution of many issues in a timely manner:
“We have cultivated a very strong partnership with the Rwanda immigration, Rwanda Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, District officials through MIDIMAR in the management of the refugee programme. We have also talked about the biggest achievement that has been recorded, which is the comprehensive solution for the Rwandan refugees and the invocation of the Cessation Clause.”
On the issue of the former M23 fighters living in Rwanda, the UNHCR representative said the Government of Rwanda and the UN were working together on the issue in line with the Kampala/Nairobi Agreement and that the UNHCR was convinced this was the best way to go about it.