Congo-Kinshasa: Hundreds of Soldiers Flee Into Uganda

Photo: MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti
United Nations peacekeepers at the town of Bunagana before the latest rebel takeover.

Kampala — Hundreds of Congolese soldiers who fled into Uganda have been transferred further inside Uganda from the border area.

Over 500 soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo have fled over the Ugandan border on Thursday following fighting with the M23 rebels of Bosco Ntaganda at the Bunagana border area.

The group led by a major Mumbere Mpingia are part of the 44 battalion.

The Uganda People's Defence Forces 2nd Division spokesman Captain Peter Mugisha said that the group has been disarmed, documented and separated from civilian refugees.

"We have documented them and now need to transfer them far away from the border", he told RFI.

The fleeing Congolese government troops have been transferred to Kisoro town 20 kilometres from the border.

General Ntaganda who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes has set rebels against the government troops of President Joseph Kabila since April this year.

Captain Mugisha said security on the Uganda-Congo border has been beefed up but insists the situation on the Ugandan side is calm. However, there has been an influx of Congolese refugees fleeing fighting back home.

Uganda's minister of state for disaster preparedness Musa Echweru said more than ten thousand Congolese refugees have pitched camp at the Bunagana border 54 kilometers in South Western Uganda.

"We are ferrying them from the entry point to Nyakabande reception centre," Echweru told RFI.

At the reception centre the refugees will be screened to ensure that no arms enter the country. Minister Echweru said the refugees will then be relocated to a settlement.

According to the minister many of the refugees are women and children. He said some refugees says they have been mistreated. Women have told the Ugandan authorities that they were gang raped, while some of the men have wounds they say were inflicted through torture.

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Comments Post a comment

  • ras sideeq
    Jul 7 2012, 15:54

    I ALSO KNOW THAT THE UGANDANS ARE COMPLICIT BY ALLOWING OFR THIS FALSE FALAG OF KONY SEARCHING BY THE US IS A SMOKE SCREEN FOR SOLDIERS TO ENTER AFRICA SLOWLY BUILDING UP NUMBERS . WHAT SHOULD BE STATED THAT ANYWHERE AMERICANS GO THERE IS ALWAYS CONFLICT CLOSE AT HAND. THEY WALK WITH CIA OPERATIVES WHO ARE MASTERS AT ESPIONAGE AND CREATORS OF TURMOIL AND DISSENT; THER IS NO REASON NOT TO BELIVE THEY ARE NOT BEHIND ALOT OF THINGS GOING ON IN KENYA AND IN THE CENTRAL REGION. WE MUST NOT FORGET THE TREMENDOUS AMMOUNTS OF WEALTH THAT IS IN THESE REGIONS. THEY ARE GREEDY THI IS WHAT IS FUELLING THIER MASSIVE MILITARY INDUSTRY. WE SEE AN OVERABUNDANCE OF EAPONS IN OUR REGIONS . WE NO LONGER HAVE SCHOOLS FOR LEARNING WE HAVE BODIES FOR WARS. EVERY SMALL CHLD IN THESE AREAS ARE SLINGING GUNS. THE RURAL AFRICAN YOUTHS ARE UNEDUCATED ILLITERATE BUT ARE WIZE IN THE ART5 OF MURDER RAPE AND SIAABLING WIDE MARGINS OF SOCIETY. THESE ARE NOT BY CHANCE BUT BY DESIGN . I ALSO WOULD FIND IT HARD TO CRIMINALISE IGNORANT ILLITERATE PEOPLE HWO HAVER BEEN TRAINED TO BE KILLERS WITH OUT THE IDEA OF ANY SCHOOLING OR EDUCATION OVERLOOKING THE INVENTIVE CROOKEDNESS OF THOSE WHO SPOIL THE MINDS OF CHILDREN AND HUMNANITY FOR THIER OWN NEFARIOUS GAINS. THIS IS WHY I SAY TO ALL THE ICC IS A JOKE WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH EDUCATED PEOPLE WHO CAN BE STYLED AS CRIMINALS CRIMINALS ARE INTELLIGENT THEY CANB REDA WRITE THEY ARE NUMERICALY BALABCED THEY ARE COMPUTER SAVY THEY WEAR TIES. THESE ARE WHOM ARE COMMITTING THESE ATTROSITIES ON THE PLANET FINDING THE MOST VULENERABLE OF OUR EARTHS DISADVANTEGED USING THIER BRAINS TO DEFLECT THE TRUTH FROM THEMSELVES WHILE THEY PREY ON THE WOLDS INNOCENT. THEY CREATE DEATH MISERY ANMD MISCONCEPTION INTHE MINDS OF ORU PEOPLE SO THEY CAN PREYON OUR WEALTH. WE THEN HAVE UNINTELLIGENT PEOPLE LIKE THE WOMAN I THE ICC WHO THINKS SHE IS THE ANSWER TO WHAT?? SHE CANT EVEN BEGIN TO TALK TO THESE MASTER CRIMINALS THEY WOULD SWAT AWAY HER PRESENCE LIKE A FLY. THE ICC IS NONE OTHER THAN ANOTHER MECHANSIM THTA HAS BEEN MANIPULATED TO BECOME A POLICE COURT FOR AFRICANS WITH EUROPE AND NATO AS ITS BENEFACTOR. HOW CAN THE CRIMINAL BECOME THE JUDGE AND THE JAILER ? THYE ARE STILL ENSLAVERS THEY HAVE NOT CHANGED THIER SPOTS. A MAN WITHOUT MELANIN CAN NOT PRODUCE A MAN WITH MELANIN NOR CAN THEY EVER BECOME STRAIGHT. CHRIST HEALED MANY OF THEM AND RETUREND THE MELNIN TO THIER GENETIC MAKEUP BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE LEPOARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Africanman in Ireland
    Jul 8 2012, 08:12

    ras sideeq, the onomatopoeic sound of ya name indicates your link with terrorism. Congolese don't bear such name that points your Pakistani/Islamic origin. Congolese are typical African Bantu and can never be influenced by religious bigotry. "THE RURAL AFRICAN YOUTHS ARE UNEDUCATED ILLITERATE BUT....". Check your comment and spellings, you are less educated than a Congolese pigmy. Compare ya Pakistan and Congo, which is more developed? "WE THEN HAVE UNINTELLIGENT PEOPLE LIKE THE WOMAN I THE ICC". Typical of Islamic perspective on women as unintelligent beasts. Muslims are rather brainless creatures dragging world backwards.

    Let me inform you pigheaded Muslims that the problem in Congo is political and sharing of national resources which draw tribal conflict. It has nothing to do with the West. Rather we are skeptical of Pakistanis in UN peacekeepers in Congo. They smuggle-in arms and sell to artisan miners in exchange for gold and diamond. The problem in Congo today is Pakistanis in so-called UN-peacekeeping force in Congo. Recently Pakistani mercenaries were caught in Congo/Uganda border by Ugandan forces. Surely they buy Uranium for Iranian govt and supply weapons in exchange.

    If there's need for peacekeepers, Congo prefer African Union forces like AMISOM is making transparent progress in Somali.

  • Africanman in Ireland
    Jul 8 2012, 08:43

    Civil war is never won by the army but settled on the table. Since the assassination of Patrice Émery Lumumba by UK,USA and Belgium, there has never been peace in DR of Congo. The purpose of the assassination was to prevent Russia from having access to Congo's Uranium. Today even terrorist states like Iran and Pakistan have full access to Congolese uranium.

    Congo is suffering the counter productive policy of the West but the West has not demonstrated regret for the blood of million Congolese killed in the war they orchestrated. Rather, we see USA and International community donating Billions of Dollars in Aid to Afghanistan. This unfair treatment on Congolese people highlights the disrespect of Africa by the international community. The irony in this is that Congolese problem was inflicted on them by the World powers while Afghanistan fought and inflicted harm on the World powers. It therefore calls on Congolese to stop civil war and rather engage on terror against the World powers in order to receive due attention

InFocus

Thousands Flee After Rebellion in Eastern DR Congo

Over 500 government troops and scores of people fled over the Ugandan border after clashes broke out with rebels of war criminal Bosco Ntaganda. Read more »