Patience Aber
18 November 2009
Kampala — Hundreds of Congolese women in Gulu district have asked the Government to repatriate them home.
They argued that is the responsibility of the Government to return them home, saying they were brought to Uganda and abandoned by their husbands, most of whom are in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).
The women said they had no food, money and access to drugs like antiretrovirals (ARVs).
They explained that they live in slums like Kony Paco, Kasubi Small Gate and Cereleno on the outskirts of Gulu town, where they pay sh5,000 for rent. Some disclosed that they earn a living through prostitution in places like Buganda Pub.
A Congolese woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they charge sh3,000 for sex without a condom and sometimes ask for less than sh1,500 for sex with a condom.
'I go to bars and pubs every evening. If I get a man, I get some little money to buy food but if I don't, I sleep hungry," she said.
Espe Bibisha, a resident of Kasubi Small Gate parish, said she faces difficulties in fending for her children.
"These children are Ugandans, but their fathers, who are soldiers, do not want to take care of them. I do not have money to buy food. Sometimes we go for days without eating. We want to return to Congo but we do not have means," she told The New Vision in an interview on Tuesday.
Angela Edenge, who has been living in Uganda for the last eight years, said she cannot easily access ARVs.
'I get my medication from Gulu Hospital but sometimes I do not get the drugs because they are out of stock. Those drugs are very strong, especially when I take them on an empty stomach," she said.
Doreen Bebe, another resident, said she earns a living by selling cassava leaves to fellow Congolese women.
On a good day, she explained, she gets sh1,000 but sometimes she makes no money. "We have resorted to staying in groups so we can support each other. When one of us gets money, she buys food for everyone," Bebe said
Capt. Ronald Kakurugu, the northern region UPDF spokesperson, said most of the women were not the legal wives of the army officers.
"The legal wives are living with their husbands in the barracks. If any of them are legal wives, we will return them to Congo. But the UPDF will not take responsibility for those who are not," he said.
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