Govt reopens Kisoro refugee centre amid fresh influx

The government has extended the decommissioning of Nyakabande refugee holding centre in Kisoro District by two weeks following a fresh influx of Congolese nationals fleeing from instability in their country.

The government had set October 31 as the deadline for the refugees at the holding centre to return to their country or be relocated to other settlement camps following the return of relative peace back home.

However, fresh fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces erupted at the weekend, forcing about 20,000 refugees into Uganda.

The commandant of the refugee transit camp, Mr Daniel Kisaamo, together with the Kisoro deputy Resident District Commissioner, Mr Robert Tukamuhebwa, yesterday they had no choice but to temporarily suspend the decommissioning.

“It’s a great relief that government accepted to extend the decommissioning period for Nyakabande refugee holding centre because the transit camp that is located a few meters away is now over stretched with about 5,000 Congolese refugees and yet it is designed to accommodate only 825 individuals,” said Mr Kisaamo.

“We are also liaising with our partners to mobilise transport means to ensure that all the refugees currently camped in the border communities are immediately transported to the Nyakabande refugee holding centre,” he added.

The Kisoro Resident District Commissioner, Hajj Shafiq Ssekandi, said although about 20,000 Congolese refugees at the weekend crossed to Uganda through Bunagana and other porous border points, a few of them had checked in at Nyakabande refugee transit centre by Sunday evening.

“The population received consists of new arrivals and spontaneous returnees although more than 20,000 refugees remained opted to camp in the border communities,” Hajj Ssekandi said.

He added that the cumulative number of asylum seekers manually registered since March when fighting erupted between the M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces is 59,595 individuals of 30,175 households.

Some of the refugees that included Mr Emmanuel Semahoro, Mr Bugabo Bwiza, Ms Shantili Munyakazi and Ms Owamaria Keneza said they were ready to be relocated to the settlement camps in Uganda because they were tired of running up and down because of the insecurity in their home area.

“I have been resisting going to the settlement camps in Uganda with high hopes that the security situation in my home area would improve. But now that it has remained fragile,” Mr Semahoro, a father of four said.