KAMPALA, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior Ugandan government official has warned Rwandan refugees shunning the voluntary repatriation, saying that they risked being forcefully returned, The New Vision newspaper reported on Wednesday.

    Ugandan First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Disaster Preparedness Moses Ali made the warning when addressing over 1,000 refugees, most of them Rwandans at Nakibale resettlement camp in Mbarara, southern Uganda.

    "You came here when you had problems at home and we granted you asylum. Today your country is very peaceful, why don't you want go to home?" Ali asked.

    At least 25,000 Rwandans are currently living in Uganda as refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

    Last year, the governments of Uganda and Rwanda and the UNHCR signed a treaty to repatriate all Rwandan refugees in Uganda.

    According to the agreement, over 25,000 Rwandan refugees will be repatriated from Uganda last year. However, only 1,890 have been repatriated under this agreement.

    Unfortunately, 300 out of these repatriated have since returnedto Uganda in search of protection. Another over 500 fresh asylum seekers from Rwanda have also entered into Uganda since the repatriation started. Enditem