Congolese refugees fleeing violence doubles in 1 month

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Over the past month the number of Congolese refugees fleeing inter-ethnic violence to Uganda has doubled to 8,000, straining scarce relief resources, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a report on Tuesday released by their Nairobi regional office.

The group said that emergency aid for the refugees is running out fast as refugee reception centers become overwhelmed.

Most of the 29,000 refugees that have come to neighboring Uganda are fleeing the Ebola virus outbreak and inter-ethnic clashes.

“There appears to be no end in sight,” said Melchizedek Malile, acting country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). “This has caused a shortage of emergency aid, which threatens the health and lives of refugees in the settlements. Uganda cannot, and should not, bear this burden alone.”

He added: “We strongly urge donor agencies and the international community to scale up their support for refugees in Uganda. Arriving refugees urgently need shelter, food, clean water, and sanitation. With more donor funding, more lives will be saved.”

The UN aid appeal for Uganda is $1.03 billion, but as of now only $147 million has been funded.

“Wealthier nations need to act on their pledges of responsibility-sharing. Countries like Uganda are struggling to cope as best they can, and they urgently need resources to reduce the suffering of desperate refugees,” Malile said.