At least 116 children who fled to Uganda during the fighting between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and Congolese forces in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Rutshuru territory have been reunited with their families.
Since the outbreak of fighting on March 28, which led to the displacement of more than 40,000 people, the Uganda Red Cross Society registered 371 children who were separated from their parents and families.
Abel Niwamanya, the Uganda Red Cross Society team leader at the Nyakabande refugee transit centre says that so far, 91 have been reunited with their parents at Nyakabande reception centre in Kisoro while 25 have been reunited at Nakivale refugees camp in Isingiro district.
Niwamanya also says that efforts are underway to ensure that other cases are followed up and all children reunited with their families. He however says that some of the children who are yet to be found could have remained inside Congo.
Imacuraka Nyabuyumbu and Lydia Nyirahabimana, refugees from Rutshuru say that they were separated from their children when fighting broke out. They said that after the fighting started they fled to different areas and they are not sure if their children are still alive or dead.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 890 refugees were transferred to Nakivale refugee camp from Nyakabande reception centre.
Douglas Asiimwe, Uganda’s Acting Commissioner for Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister, says that this is the second batch of refugees to be transferred after 1,000 refugees were transferred last week.
He says that the aim is to decongest Nyakabande reception centre.
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