Over 300 people in DRC flee to Uganda over renewed tribal clashes

More than 300 people from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have fled to Uganda over the past one month, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Samuel Araali Kisembo, the resident district commissioner for Kikuube and Hoima districts in western Uganda, said that they are fleeing renewed tribal clashes in Ituri Province in eastern DRC.

Kisembo said they used Lake Albert shared by Uganda and DRC.

"We are working with the local leadership, the Office of Prime Minister and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to direct these people to the reception center at Sebigoro," Kisembo said, noting that more people are expected to cross to Uganda.

"Our teams are on standby and health officials are available to screen the newcomers of Ebola and other related diseases," Kisembo said.

Uganda, according to the UN refugee agency, is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world. The country hosts some 1.36 million refugees, mostly from neighboring South Sudan, DRC and Burundi.

xinhua