Number of Congolese refugees entering Uganda rises to over 20,000

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Authorities in Uganda said Monday that over 20,000 refugees have flocked to Uganda since Friday, fleeing fighting in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Yesterday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that 11,000 refugees had entered the country. Today, according to Uganda police, over 9,000 more Congolese refugees have entered the country, and most of them are in the border town of Bunagana.

Uganda police spokesman Fred Enanga said during a media interview in Kampala that ‘‘currently over 20,000 Congolese refugees have entered Uganda. We have stepped up security at the border.”

Ismail Ndabaki, the mayor of Bunagana, told the media that they are overwhelmed by the large numbers of refugees.