AFRICA/UGANDA - Fleeing insecurity and epidemics, Burundians pour into Uganda

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – More than 7, ooo Burundian refugees, mostly women and children, had arrived in Uganda through Rwanda and Tanzania. The cholera outbreak and worsening sanitation conditions in some of the refugee settlements in Tanzania have forced thousands of the Burundian refugees to cross into Uganda. This has created congestion and more pressure on the existing facilities in the Country.
Uganda currently hosts some 226,880 DRC refugees and 139,280 from South Sudan. The numbers of new arrivals are on the increase, from 250 to 300 daily. All are citing harassment and persecution by Imbonerakure, the youth wing of Burundi’s ruling party. Most of the Burundians in Uganda are now staying in the Nakivale refugee settlement in the western Isingoro district and in the Nyakabande transit camp in Kisoro district. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the most urgent steps that need to be taken now are the expansion of reception facilities, reinforced health and nutrition screening at reception centres. In addition, about 5,000 Burundians who have just arrived in Nakivale are in urgent need of food. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 10/06/2015)


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