Darious Magara
28 October 2007
Kampala — Congolese refugees continue to stream into Uganda following fighting in North Kivu between government forces and troops loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda.
By press time yesterday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) put the number at 18,000.
The refugees are camped at Nyakabande reception centre in Kisoro, about 3km from the town, along the Kisoro-Kabale highway.
"We are registering more refugees crossing the Bunagana border point. Trucks are ferrying them to Nyakabande reception centre following an outbreak of cholera and to address security concerns," Adani Diis Ilmi, the head of UNHCR western region, told The New Vision.
He said they were trying to respond to the crisis as best as they could, in collaboration with NGOs, local and central governments.
Aid workers have erected temporary shelters and toilets at the reception centre. They are also providing water and food aid.
The UN agency is assisting about 5,000 children who had been separated from their parents as they fled. The children are in their own tent.
Adani explained that the refugees were temporarily settled at Nyakabande. In a later stage, they will be moved to Nakivale refugee settlement in Isingiro district.
Kisoro district chairman Dr. Philemon Mateke has appealed to the local people to remain calm and assured them that their security was guaranteed.
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