Photo credit: UNHCR
This year, over 42,000 refugees have been able to return home voluntarily in the West and Central Africa region.
The UNHCR says this brings the total to more than 272,000 since 2021, offering renewed hope for communities recovering from years of displacement.
The majority have returned to Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR). About 10,000 more Central African refugees are expected to return from neighbouring countries before the end of the year.
However, the UHCNR Refugee Agency stresses that continued progress is tied closely to securing additional funding to ensure that returns remain voluntary, safe and sustainable.
Voluntary return remains one of the most tangible solutions to forced displacement. However, finding the right conditions is difficult. Returns should only occur when conditions such as security and access to land, documentation and basic services are in place. Successful refugee returns go well beyond crossing a border. Investment in sustainable integration is critical to allow refugees to rebuild their lives with stability and hope.
Recent return intention surveys conducted by UNHCR across the region reveal the strong aspirations of refugees to return home next year despite ongoing challenges. Around 80,000 Central African refugees in Cameroon and Chad intend to return as soon as basic services and reintegration opportunities are available. UNHCR and partners plan to support the return of 60,000 refugees to the CAR in 2026.
The June 2025 Washington Peace Agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, with the July Doha Declaration of Principles between the DRC and M23, reaffirmed that all refugee returns must remain voluntary and in line with the 2010 Tripartite Agreements between UNHCR and the governments of the DRC
and Rwanda. Building on these renewed commitments, UNHCR has facilitated 5,000 returns in 2025 and plans to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of 10,000 Rwandan refugees from the DRC in 2026.
But future returns depend on the availability of funds. UNHCR therefore appeals for urgent, flexible and multi-year funding to sustain voluntary returns and reintegration, enabling thousands more families to return home in dignity, reintegrate sustainably and contribute to the recovery and stability of their communities.
