A delegation of 13 top Army officers from the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Member States have appreciated a recent operation to evict refugees from border areas of Uganda with the DRC in Kisoro district.
Security Operatives in Kisoro on Friday morning forced over 13200 refugees out of Bunagana town, Kibaya land, Rukundo town council, Nyarubuye and Busanza, areas they illegally occupied.
8,639 of these went back to their home country through Busanza border while 4,560 accepted to be driven to Nyakabande refugee holding centre.
According to the Kisoro resident district commissioner (RDC), Hajji Shafique Ssekandi Sengooba, the operation raised concern from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region member states due to rumors that refugees were mishandled by Ugandan security.
While visiting areas of Bunagana, Busanza border post and Nyakabande refugee holding centre yesterday, the officers refused to comment about their visit to Uganda .
However, RDC Hajji Ssekandi said that the delegation has appreciated the efforts by security in Kisoro to remove refugees from the border because international law states that refugees should stay 50 kilometers away from the border.
Ssekandi added that over 20,000 refugees have been illegally staying in Uganda which causes insecurity, environmental degradation, land grabbing among others.
He also said that over 1500 tents that had been set up in Bunagana and Kibaya by refugees have been vandalised while the refugees that tried to stone police will be produced before court today .
He warned locals who are renting houses to asylum seekers.
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