20120710
Xinhua
Uganda's Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi has said that the current influx of thousands of Congolese refugees fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is straining social services in western part of the country, local media reported here on Monday.

Mbabazi, according to the state owned New Vision daily said that the influx was straining provision of health services in the western border district of Kisoro.

"The situation in Congo is worrying in the sense that the citizens are missing out on peace, harmony and development," said Mbabazi.

"The pressure exerted on our social services is becoming unbearable butin the African spirit, we shall continue welcoming these people as our brothers and sisters," he said.

The intense fighting between Congolese troops and M23 rebels last week forced over 4,500 refugees to cross to Uganda, according to the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), a local humanitarian relief organization in Uganda. As of July 9, at least 16,270 Congolese refugees had been registered at Nyakabande Transit Centre in Kisoro, according to a statement issued hereon Monday by URCS.

The statement added that government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were organizing to transfer the refugees to Rwamwanja refugee settlement in Kamwenge district, several hundreds of kilometers deep into Uganda from the common border.

"The current needs are food and water at the border, improved hygiene and sanitation at Nyakabande and Bunagana, shelter, reproductive health care,first aid and psychosocial support," said Michael Nataka, URCS Secretary General.

The fighting which saw government troops lose control over the border town of Bunagana also led to over 600 Congolese troops crossing into Uganda.

Uganda has called for a regional emergency meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ongoing African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.