Thousands of Congolese nationals have fled their country and sought refuge in Bunagana primary school in Bunagana town council, Kisoro district in Western Uganda. This is a consequence of clashes between suspected M23 rebels and Congolese government troops in the chiefdom of Bwisha, Rutshuru territory, North Kivu province.
Heavy fighting erupted in the hills of Runyonyi and Tchanzu in Sabyino mountains of the Virunga ranges, about four kilometers to the Uganda-DR Congo border of Bunagana in Kisoro district around 4 am on Monday morning.
Three army barracks in Rutchuru territory about two kilometres from the DR Congo-Uganda border, are reportedly already in the hands of the MM23 rebels.
The escalation of this situation forced thousands of Congolese nationals in the area, especially from the villages of Mukinga, Rubona, and Tcheya to flee to the Ugandan side while others fled towards Rutchuru town.
According to Emmanuel Mwunvaneza, Kisoro district education officer, they have been forced to close the school following an emergency meeting by the District Security Committee and other stakeholders to provide space for the refugees.
He says that they reached the decision after realizing the high number of refugees yet Bunagana town council especially in the market where they were converging has no facilities like toilets and water.
He says that the school will resume normal operations once the situation turns to normal in DRC or when they get somewhere else to accommodate the refugees. Mwunvaneza however expressed concern that the refugees may destroy school furniture for firewood.
Capt Peter Mugisha, the outgoing, Kisoro resident district commissioner, says that efforts are still underway to see how the refugees are transported from Bunagana to the Nyakabande refugee transit camp.
He, however, says that they are still challenging because some of the refugees are hesitant to go to Nyakabande refugees transit camp.
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