By Deo Okoodi
In Kisoro—
The refugees including men, women children and the elderly are fleeing fighting between Mai Mai Militia and Nyatura rebels in north and south Kivu provinces.
The fighting has led to increased looting by Mai Mai rebels, rape, forced recruitment into rebel activities, torching of houses and money extortion.
Kisoro RDC Shafiq Sekandi says the arrival rate of fleeing refugees has significantly increased from January with a daily average of more than 500 people per day which stressed to be an abnormal figure.
DRC refugees arriving at Bunagana border post
He said the situation has started causing panic among civilian population in Kisoro which also forced Uganda security officials to beef up security along the Uganda DRC border line.
He said since January 2018, 12.000 refugees have so far been received and resettled in different refugee settlements within the country.
Although the RDC said these are African people he should not be chased away to go back to fire expressed concern that they may have come with killer diseases because their country has not had a good policy of vaccination.
Zainabu Munyeshaka ; the chairperson LCI Bunagana town board said that fighting between the two groups has badly affected business in Kisoro because heavy trucks which they usually used to ferry their commodities to DRC are no longer crossing the Bunagana border post.
SOURCE: www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website.
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