Some of the Congolese nationals seeking refugee status in Uganda are starving at Nakivale and Oruchinga refugee reception centers.
The refugees, numbering up to 1000, are fleeing post election violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those fleeing fighting are mostly children and women.
They claim not to have been supplied with food and other basic necessities for some days.
John Munyengango, one of the Congolese nationals awaiting registration at the Oruchinga reception centre says that they are going through a hard time without food, water, medicine and other necessities.
Munyengango says they survive on a cup of porridge for morning, and posho and beans for supper.
Usually United Nations High Commission Refugees—UNHCR and World Food Program supply aid after the procedure of screening and registering refugees.
The UNHCR representative in Mbarara, Moshed Anwar, says the delay to supply food to thousands of refugees has been brought by delays in the screening and registration process.
Moshed says food is available and they are ready to supply it once the process of screening the refugees is complete.
The situation has since forced the minister for disaster preparedness and refugees, Dr. Steven Malinga, to order the authorities involved in the distribution of food items to abandon the procedure and supply relief items immediately.
Malinga said that this would save the Government from subjecting refugees to what they have already gone through in their home country.
//Cue in: “From the moment they arrive……
Cue out…………..how many people have died here//
Uganda is a destination for many refugees from Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda and DR Congo. There are close to 70.000 refugees at Nakivale and Oruchinga settlement camps in Isingiro district.
