Some of the refugees lining up for water in Kanungu district

By Caleb Bahikaho and Joseph Kariuki

Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda captured the Ishasha border town in the DR Congo during an early morning raid that left thousands of refugees fleeing into Uganda.

By yesterday evening over 10,000 refugees had crossed into Uganda through the border point in Kanungu district, bringing the number to 13,000 over the past three days.

The number of Congolese refugees who have fled into Uganda since August is about 27,000, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement last evening.

Inspecting the Matanda transit centre located 20km from Ishasha, Musa Ecweru, the state minister of disaster preparedness, described the influx as “unprecedented in Uganda.”

The minister, addressing an emergency meeting, promised to provide food, water and medicine to the refugees.

“I cannot explain the situation because after every hour crowds cross the border. The numbers have overwhelmed us,” said Benjamin Cadet, a Red Cross volunteer handling the refugees.

The refugees include 71 police officers who handed over 46 AK47 rifles, one stick grenade, radio communication and five walkie-talkies.

One of the refugees said civilians were being killed and buried in mass graves.