NEW YORK, 10 November 2021, (TON): The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said “fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced at least 11,000 people to flee to neighbouring Uganda since Sunday night, representing the largest refugee influx in a single day for more than a year.”

Women and children comprise the majority of those who have crossed the border to escape clashes between militia groups and the Congolese armed forces in Rutshuru Territory, in the DRC’s North Kivu province.

Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR spokesperson in Geneva, said some 8,000 asylum seekers crossed at Bunagana town, while another 3,000 came through the Kibaya border point in Kisoro district.  Both locations are roughly 500 km southwest of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

She said “the new arrivals told UNHCR staff that fighting was going on in the villages of Binja, Kinyarugwe and Chanzu.”

“Many people came with cooking utensils, sleeping mats, clothing and livestock, gathered hurriedly as they fled. Some appear to be returning to remote areas in the border vicinity.”

UNHCR and Uganda are responding to the situation, in coordination with district and local officials.  Several partners are also assisting, including the World Food Programme (WFP).