Thousands flee DR Congo fighting for Uganda: UNHCR

Women and children comprise the bulk of those who person crossed the borderline to flight clashes betwixt militia groups and the Congolese equipped forces successful Rutshuru Territory, successful the DRC’s North Kivu province. 

Rushing to escape 

Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR spokesperson successful Geneva, said immoderate 8,000 asylum seekers crossed astatine Bunagana town, portion different 3,000 came done the Kibaya borderline constituent successful Kisoro district.  Both locations are astir 500 km southwest of the Ugandan capital, Kampala. 

“The caller arrivals told UNHCR unit that warring was going connected successful the villages of Binja, Kinyarugwe and Chanzu,” she said.  

“Many radical came with cooking utensils, sleeping mats, covering and livestock, gathered hurriedly arsenic they fled. Some look to beryllium returning to distant areas successful the borderline vicinity.” 

UNHCR and Uganda are responding to the situation, successful coordination with territory and section officials.  Several partners are besides assisting, including the World Food Programme (WFP). 

Ms. Mantoo reported that her bureau has truthful acold relocated astir 500 radical to the nearby Nyakabande transit centre, which tin location up to 1,500 people.  

Resources needed urgently 

The asylum-seekers are screened for COVID-19.  They are besides registered and fixed water, food, communal shelters, blankets and different items.  A strategy is besides successful spot to place and accelerated way radical successful request of exigency assistance. 

Although Uganda’s borders are presently closed to asylum-seekers owed to pandemic-related restrictions, Ms. Mantoo said the Government has again implemented a humanitarian objection to let harmless transition for radical seeking safety, which UNHCR has commended. 

“However, we are acrophobic that section capableness and services whitethorn beryllium soon overwhelmed and petition urgent resources to code the needs of the caller arrivals,” she added.  

UNHCR is seeking some $335 million this twelvemonth for its operations successful Uganda, which hosts much refugees than immoderate different state successful Africa.  Globally, lone 3 countries instrumentality successful much refugees. 

So far, lone astir 45 per cent of the backing has been received.