The government has issued a two days ultimatum to all refugees camping at the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border in Kisoro District to vacate and enter Nyakabande refugee transit center or return to their country.
More than 20,000 refugees have been camping at the border town councils of Bunagana, Rukundo, Mpaka, and sub-counties of Muramba and Nyarubuye since fighting erupted between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) troops in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu province. The fighting left Bunagana border in the hands of m23 rebels after over 150 FARDC soldiers fled to Uganda.
In May, Esther Anyakun, the Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees gave the refugees seven days to vacate the border. District security authorities had also issued another ultimatum of two days in April. The ultimatums however did not yield any positive results.
On Tuesday, Kisoro District authorities held a closed-door meeting together with Officials from the office of the Prime Minister, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), police, Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF), Prisons, and Immigrations among others at Kisoro district council hall.
After the meeting, Hajji Shafique Ssekandi, Kisoro Resident District Commissioner said that it was resolved that the refugees should be taken to the transit center between Wednesday and Thursday. Ssekandi says that the directives follow complaints from Ugandans who accuse the refugees of occupying their land.
According to Ssekandi, the meeting also unanimously resolved that all refugees who do not go to the center the transit center by Thursday evening should return to DRC.
Ssekandi also says that the fresh ultimatum is aimed at preventing the possible spread of the deadly Ebola disease that has already been declared in Beni.
At Rukundo town council, there are more than 500 refugees occupying Kibaya district land.
The refugees said that they have occupied the land for three months.
Innocent Nambaje, another refugee from Kabingo village admits that he and other fellow refugees are constructing shelters on Ugandan land without knowing the owners.
Nambaje says that whenever owners of land protest, they only plead for forgiveness by explaining that they have nowhere to go due to insecurity in Congo. Nambaje says that he has no problem being relocated to the transit center as long as he is assured of food.
Julius Nsengiyunva and Daniel Nsanzumuhire residents of Kageyo village in Nyarubuye sub-county say that they have no plans to chase away Congolese refugees
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