The humanitarian crisis in Bundibugyo District continues to worry security, district, and humanitarian officials as more refugees continue to enter the district.
On Thursday, more than 13,000 Congolese refugees entered Uganda through the Lamia Busunga border point following an attack on several villages in Eastern DRC by suspected Allied Democratic Forces- ADF rebels.
The attack on Wednesday night left dozens of civilians in Kamango, Nobili, and Njapande killed.
Dr. Joseph Kasumba the Red Cross Program Officer in Bundibugyo told URN that at least 1,300 Congolese had been registered. He added that they are expecting more refugees to enter the district.
According to Kasumba, some of the refugees include children who entered the district without their parents. He however says that there are plans to reunite them with their families.
Kasumba says that they are facing challenges of providing clean water, food, and medicine. He adds that Red Cross Action team volunteers have been deployed to support the refugees and other volunteers are on standby.
Francis Ssenyonjo the Assistant CAO Bundibugyo who also doubles as the refugee focal person said the situation is normalizing and registration of refugees is continuing at the entry point.
Ssenyonjo says that the Office of the Prime Minister, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees- UNHCR, and other NGOs are working to ensure that the refugees are settled in the designated places before they are transferred to Bubukwanga Reception Centre.
However, he said they were facing challenges of some of the asylum seekers refusing to be registered as Refugees.
Major Peter Mugisa the Operation Shujja and Mountain Division Spokesperson said the acts of the ADF are diversionary in nature and only intended to distract the mission of hunting them down from the Virunga Forests in DRC.
“We are not about to stop our mission in Congo because their intention is to divert us by attacking the border town so that when we leave their Camps they re-occupy them” Mugisa disclosed.
Mugisa warned leaders of Ntoroko and Bundibugyo against allowing their locals to provide shelter with the refugees since they are at risk of harboring ADF rebels.
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