Thousands flee Congo violence into Uganda, dangerously straining refugee facilities

Around 7,500 Congolese refugees have arrived in Uganda since the start of June, placing a strain on already badly overstretched facilities, the UN refugee agency’s UNHCR spokesman, Andrej Mahecic said in a statement on Tuesday.

Renewed clashes between opposing Hema and Lendu groups in north-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC, are driving people across the border into Uganda at a rate of 300 a day, while recent arrivals speak of extreme brutality.

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Aljazeera reported that armed groups attacked villages, torched and looted houses, and killed men, women and children.

Most people are fleeing to Uganda via Lake Albert from Ituri province, where displacement since early June is now estimated at 300,000.

The gold-rich region has experienced extreme violence before, with more than 60,000 people killed and 500,000 others displaced as a result of intense clashes between the Hema and Lendu between 1999 and 2003, according to the UN.

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