Authorities in Bundibugyo District have reported the disappearance of more than 900 Congolese refugees from camps in the area.

The group is part of 1,202 refugees who crossed into Uganda on Sunday night following attacks by suspected ADF rebels in Kichanga, Watalinga County, eastern DR Congo.

The Uganda Red Cross reported that the 1,202 refugees had been registered and screened by midday on Tuesday. They were then temporarily sheltered at Bitoogho Primary School and Saira Church of Uganda.

However, of the registered refugees, only 224 were transported to the Bubukwange Transit Centre in Bundibugyo by Wednesday evening.

Mr Francis Senyondo, the district refugee focal person, said the refugees are suspected to have integrated into the local community, which he deemed illegal.

He appealed to village leaders and families to send them back to the transit camp, emphasising the collaborative efforts with the Uganda Red Cross to identify and relocate refugees through engagement with village chairpersons.

“We have only transported 224 refugees; three people took themselves to the transit centre, and the rest have mixed with the community, which is illegal. We are tracking them to return them to the transit camp,” Mr Senyondo stated.

Mr Senyondo said they have through radio programmes sensitised residents against allowing refugees in their homes, emphasising the benefits of transit centers where the government provides the necessary support.

“When these refugees go to the community, they will start competing with people for food and medicine in health facilities. Yet in the transit centre, they are looked after by the government. If their areas stabilise, they can be taken back,” he explained.

Relations

It is important to note that a significant number of people in Bundibugyo District have relatives in DR Congo who crisscross the various border points for cultivation and clan visits.

According to the Uganda Red Cross by Tuesday, of the 1,202 refugees who crossed into Uganda, 293 were adults above 18 years, 293 were children aged 0-4 years, and 516 were children aged 5-17 years.

The influx of refugees into Bundibugyo from DR Congo ceased by Tuesday due to the flooding of River Lamia. However, heightened security measures at the border remained in place to prevent any suspected ADF rebels from crossing into Uganda.

Mr James Baluku, a resident of Bundibugyo Town, voiced concern over the security threat posed by refugees integrating into the community.

“As residents, we remain worried. How do you allow someone into your family and start staying together? What if he is an ADF rebel and kills you?” he wondered.

“Let our local leaders try to identify such people and have them taken to camps. We see many new faces in the town, and you can’t tell where they come from,” Mr Baluku said.