Julius Nkunda
The Kisoro RDC has ordered refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been staying in Kisoro district to either go to established refugee settlement camps or return home.
Although Capt Peter Mugisha refused to reveal the reason for this order, he said that many times, they have been asked to do the same in vain.
While speaking to Voice of Muhabura, Capt. Mugisha said that no refugee is supposed to stay around 60 kilometres near his country, a reason why they have come up with the decision.
He added that they have been given a period of two days to either be transported to refugee camps, or deported back home.
Over 10 of these refugees were seen at the district headquarters yesterday meeting with several security officials on the matter.
According to sources, they requested for more time to organize their families and finish up what they have been engaged in. A source who spoke to us on condition of anonymity noted that about 26 DRC refugees have been living in places known to the security detail. Asked whether the refugees are former M23 combatants who were flushed out of DRC in 2013, Capt. Peter Mugisha said they know them as refugees.
There are also reports that the decision was reached after the DRC government expressed fears that former M23 rebels who fled to Uganda and were not habituated into refugee camps could fuel the recent conflicts that broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The said refugees have been staying in Bunagana Town Council, a small town near the DRC border, while others stay in Kisoro town. These are living with their families, and are engaged in income generating projects like trade, masonry, health and others.
Two years ago when armed crime hit the peak in Kisoro, some leaders partly blamed it on the presence of former M23 combatants in Kisoro, with a view that they could be hiding arms.
The then RDC Shaffiq Ssekandi noted that intelligence had shown that some of them were committing crimes and crossing back to hide in DRC. Over 17 guns were recovered in a period of 1 year, including the 7 assault rifles that were being smuggled across Bunagana border crossing into the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
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