Tens of thousands of Congolese seek shelter in Uganda border town

KAMPALA, Uganda, September 7 (UNHCR) - Some 25,000 to 35,000 Congolese refugees have been sheltering at night in the Ugandan border town of Bunagana to escape fighting in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

During the day, most of the men have been crossing back into the DRC to check on their properties, leaving behind 12,000-15,000 women and children. Nearly all of them are staying with Congolese relatives and friends living in Bunagana, located in western Uganda's Kisoro province.

According to Ugandan authorities, most of the Congolese said they preferred to stay close to the border and wanted to go back as soon as the situation improves. As of Thursday night, only about 200 people had registered at the UNHCR-supported Nyakabanda reception centre, some 20 kms inside Uganda.

"Our teams are on the ground and we will continue to closely monitor the situation. We see most of the Congolese refugees are keen to go back home as soon as possible and many of them are actually doing so," said Stefano Severe, UNHCR representative in Uganda.

But many of the women and children are staying in Uganda. "I left with my husband and my seven children. We couldn't stay at home anymore, there is war," said 30-year-old Nirandi Kubwimana after reaching Nyakabanda. "I don't want to go back until I am sure the war has stopped," she said, referring to the fighting between government forces, renegade troops and rebels.

"Together with the Ugandan authorities and other partners we will maintain our readiness to provide protection and assistance to those who may need it," said UNHCR's Severe.

The Ugandan district authorities, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Food Programme, the Uganda Red Cross and MSF France have stored in a nearby warehouse blankets, jerry cans, plastic tarpaulins, food and medical supplies that can be used in Nyakabanda, if needed.

UNHCR teams in Uganda have conducted a number of field missions to Kisoro since late August, monitoring arrivals and providing assistance following an earlier influx of 10,000 Congolese on August 21. A field team was scheduled to return to Kisoro on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, UNHCR staff in North Kivu reported on Friday that thousands of Congolese had fled the town of Sake and its surroundings west of Goma due to intense fighting. It was believed that most of the town's population fled on Thursday. Columns of displaced were heading towards the Muganga camp for displaced people, some 15 kilometres from Goma, and towards Goma itself.

There are several camps and makeshift sites in the Mugunga area hosting at least 35,000 displaced people. The number continues to rise daily. The conditions are desperate, with the displaced sheltering in flimsy huts made of leaves and sticks, in overcrowded school buildings and under the open sky.

UNHCR has limited access to certain areas, including Mugunga, and fears that the known displacement is only the tip of the iceberg. The refugee agency is negotiating with authorities to open a site for newly displaced in Goma itself. Over the past days, UNHCR staff in Goma have witnessed the constant arrival of trucks loaded with IDPs and their belongings. Since December 2006, the number of newly displaced in North Kivu has surpassed 180,000 and continues to grow. In total, there are more than 640,000 IDPs in the eastern DRC province.

UNHCR is coordinating closely in the overall relief effort involving other UN agencies and NGO partners, particularly with UNICEF and the World Food Programme, who have provided support to the displaced over the past weeks with distributions of household items, plastic sheeting and food rations.

In Geneva on Friday, chief UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said: "We again urge all parties to the conflict in North Kivu to refrain from attacks on the civilian population and on the displaced in particular. In screening new arrivals, UNHCR and its NGO partner have identified a number of rape and torture victims."

He said UNHCR teams had also received reports of killings of civilians. "Such acts are serious violations of the international humanitarian law," Redmond said, adding: "We are still hoping that negotiations to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict can resume, preventing further displacement and deterioration of an already devastating humanitarian situation."

By Roberta Russo in Kampala, Uganda
and Jens Hesemann in Goma, DRC