Prospects of Durable Solutions in Changed Circumstances: The Case of Former Rwandan Refugees in Uganda Post the 2013 Cessation Agreement

In 2003, a Tripartite Agreement between Uganda, Rwanda and UNHCR for the voluntary repatriation of Rwandan refugees that had been displaced be-tween 1959 and 1998 was signed. It is upon the success of the programs under this agreement that the Cessation Clause under Article (1) (C) 5 of the 1951 Refugee Convention would be based. On the 30th June 2013, the cessation was declared and consequently protection of all Rwandans within its scope came to an end. Using legal and socio-legal theories, together with the con-cept of social exclusion, this study gives a background to the Cessation Agreement of 2013 on Rwandan refugees in Uganda and evaluates the imple-mentation of its processes conducted through the Tripartite Agreement of 2003. The study reveals the social problems posed to the Rwandan popula-tion in exile in Uganda following the 2013 Cessation Agreement. It shows how these problems stem from ineffective implementation of the Tripartite Agreement. The study concludes that arrangement between the host state, the state of origin and UNHCR to finalise the cessation programs within a very limited time period, by December 2017, will leave a number of former Rwan-dan refugees undocumented and without a solution. If previous conditions that drove them into exile are not resolved, it is hard to envisage any durable solution to their social exclusion and the human rights violations they may face.