Uganda has continued to receive thousands of Congolese refugees fleeing from the renewed hostilities between M23 rebels and Democratic Republic of Congo forces.
Irene Nakasiita, the Uganda Red Cross Society-URCS Spokesperson, confirmed that M23 rebels seized several settlements on Sunday, including Ntamugenga, located along the northern side of the highway leading out of Goma city.
She said that the recent fighting in the DRC has increased the number of asylum seekers in Uganda.
“Due to fresh fighting, the society has received more asylum seekers coming into Uganda from DRC,” she said.
Nakasiita added that refugees are being received by Ugandan authorities and international organisations in Kisoro, South Western Uganda.
Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with 1,529,904 refugees as of 2022.
The vast influx of refugees is due to several factors in Uganda’s neighboring countries, especially war and violence in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda has relatively “friendly” policies that provide rights to the refugees, such as rights to education, work, private property, healthcare, and other basic social services.