Prime
Security intercept over 100 Congolese refugees
Congolese nationals pictured at Bunagana border point as some started returning home after security officials said the situation had returned to normal. PHOTOS/ROBERT MUHEREZA
What you need to know:
- More than 11,000 Congolese crossed into Uganda on Monday following heavy fighting in North Kivu Province on Sunday night, according to UNHCR
Two buses carrying 104 Congolese refugees were yesterday morning intercepted by security operatives at Murugano security checkpoint in Kisoro District. The refugees were on their way to Kamwenge District.
According to authorities, the refugees are part of the more than 10,000 Congolese asylum seekers who entered the country unchecked following attacks by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in DR Congo on Monday.
The Kisoro Resident District Commissioner, Mr Peter Mugisha, yesterday said the refugees claimed they were residents of Rwamwanja Refugee Camp in Kamwenge District but were checking on relatives who fled the insecurity in DR Congo.
Mr Mugisha added that the refugees claimed to have tags from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as proof that they were cleared to move.
“We received intelligence information that two buses were carrying more than 100 Congolese refugees and our security team intercepted them at Murugano checkpoint. We returned them to Nyakabande Refugee Settlement Camp [in Kisoro District] and after verification. We shall decide on their fate,” Mr Mugisha said.
He said the Kisoro District security committee mounted roadblocks to prevent Congolese refugees from sneaking into the country without clearance from UNHCR and the Prime Minister’s office.
The LC1 chairman of Bunagana Trading Centre in Kisoro District, Mr Abubakare Nikwengye, said dozens of Congolese refugees have already mixed with the communities.
By yesterday, some of the refugees were seen looking for houses to rent.
Others camped on the roadside in Kisoro District claiming that they were too tired to walk back home.
The LCIII chairman for Bunagana Town Council, Mr Ismail Ndayambaje, said plans are under way to start community policing to identify the Congolese refugees staying with relatives.
Background
On Tuesday, thousands of Congolese refugees returned home after the Congolese security officials operating at Bunagana border post in the DR Congo held a meeting with Ugandan security team and encouraged them to return home.
“Those that want to remain in Uganda will be taken to refugee camps where they can be properly managed by the UNHCR,” Mr Peter Mugisha, Kisoro RDC said.
