8,000 Congolese flee to Uganda
Oct 22, 2007
ABOUT 8,000 Congolese have entered Uganda to escape the fighting in eastern Democratict Republic of Congo between the national army and forces of renegade general, Laurent Nkunda.
By Raymond Baguma
and Agencies
ABOUT 8,000 Congolese have entered Uganda to escape the fighting in eastern Democratict Republic of Congo between the national army and forces of renegade general, Laurent Nkunda.
The refugee influx started on Friday, as Congolese from villages close to the Ugandan border entered Bunagana in Kisoro district. Another small group of refugees fled to Busanza, another border point some 15kms north of Bunagana.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) fears that more people will be displaced if fighting continues in the Rutshuru area of North Kivu province.
An assessment team of government officials and humanitarian agencies are in Kisoro to verify the number of refugees and prepare the delivery of aid.
The Congolese army deployed three helicopter gunships against Nkunda’s forces and Mai Mai militias, prompting thousands of residents to flee their homes in northeast Goma, AFP reported on Sunday.
Civilians also told AFP that they fled Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), whose members are accused of having participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Two Congolese admitted in a hospital in Bunagana with bullet wounds told UNHCR officials that they were caught in the cross-fire as fighting raged around their homes on Saturday morning.
UNHCR reported that women and children were sheltering on shop verandas in Bunagana, while others remained close to the border hoping to return home when calm returns.
Kisoro district authorities yesterday advised the displaced people to leave the border area for safety, and move to the Nyakabande transit centre set up by UNHCR and other relief agencies.
Yesterday, the UNHCR and WFP started distributing high-energy biscuits and basic household supplies to some 200 refugees at Nyakabande.
In August and September, about 30,000 Congolese fled North Kivu to Kisoro to escape skirmishes between the Congolese army and the local population there.
and Agencies
ABOUT 8,000 Congolese have entered Uganda to escape the fighting in eastern Democratict Republic of Congo between the national army and forces of renegade general, Laurent Nkunda.
The refugee influx started on Friday, as Congolese from villages close to the Ugandan border entered Bunagana in Kisoro district. Another small group of refugees fled to Busanza, another border point some 15kms north of Bunagana.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) fears that more people will be displaced if fighting continues in the Rutshuru area of North Kivu province.
An assessment team of government officials and humanitarian agencies are in Kisoro to verify the number of refugees and prepare the delivery of aid.
The Congolese army deployed three helicopter gunships against Nkunda’s forces and Mai Mai militias, prompting thousands of residents to flee their homes in northeast Goma, AFP reported on Sunday.
Civilians also told AFP that they fled Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), whose members are accused of having participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Two Congolese admitted in a hospital in Bunagana with bullet wounds told UNHCR officials that they were caught in the cross-fire as fighting raged around their homes on Saturday morning.
UNHCR reported that women and children were sheltering on shop verandas in Bunagana, while others remained close to the border hoping to return home when calm returns.
Kisoro district authorities yesterday advised the displaced people to leave the border area for safety, and move to the Nyakabande transit centre set up by UNHCR and other relief agencies.
Yesterday, the UNHCR and WFP started distributing high-energy biscuits and basic household supplies to some 200 refugees at Nyakabande.
In August and September, about 30,000 Congolese fled North Kivu to Kisoro to escape skirmishes between the Congolese army and the local population there.