DR. Congo Unrest Strains Bunagana Border Town, thousands flee to Uganda

DR. Congo Unrest Strains Bunagana Border Town, thousands flee to Uganda. Congolese fleeing war in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continues to stream into Bunagana town council with many spending cold nights outside business premises while others privileged to have family and friends have been accommodated.

For the last two weeks, residents of Bunagana in Kisoro District have expressed frustration as food resources are quickly getting depleted, and residents are complaining that the overwhelming numbers of people have also put the community at risk of an epidemic since many refugees have resorted to open defecation due to limited latrines in the area.

The Bunagana HC II In charge Juliet Ingabire says on a daily basis, they receive up to 40 Congolese seeking medication majorly for Diarrhea and Malaria and medicines recently ran out not until support came in from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders who restocked medication and added two additional medical staff.

Kisoro Resident District Commissioner Hajji Shafiq Sekandi says the situation in Bunagana is alarming and more deliberate efforts need to be taken to ensure that there is no disease outbreak in Bunagana town council.

“Government and all the humanitarian agencies at Nyakabande Transit camp have done everything it takes to make sure the Congolese will be received and managed with dignity.

We intend to sensitize the communities to encourage them to ask the Congolese to leave their homes and business premises because it is no longer safe due to the overwhelming numbers,” Sekandi said.

The Congolese who spoke to Graha Details on a condition of anonymity said, they would like to stay in the area of Bunagana Town Council than go to the transit camp to be registered in the system to be taken far and deeper into Uganda’s refugee settlement camps.

It is alleged that others still cross over into DR. Congo during the day to look for food and return in the evening for a safe haven. They prefer to closely monitor what is happening back home and once the war seizes, they would go back.

Kisoro district is set to host the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) to discuss ways of finding a lasting solution in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo through dialogue. Other issues to be discussed include Prisoners of war.