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Alert

 

Uganda

Congolese seek refuge in Uganda

 

Geneva, 24 May 2012

1.       Brief description of the emergency and impact

After three years of relative peace, conflict has returned to North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) causing many Congolese to flee to neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. A rebel group named M23 led by Commander Bosco Ntaganda is causing this violence. Bosco, alias ‘the terminator’ has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes including enlisting children as soldiers. It is estimated that 40,000 Congolese have entered Kisoro District due to violence in the DRC (source: Government of Uganda newspaper).

Many refugees are opting to stay in Kisoro because of the proximity to their villages. When refugees cross the border, they are encouraged to go to Nyakabande Transit Centre, which is 13km from the border in Kisoro town. It is an open field used by the local population and this creates tensions. Hundreds of refugees are arriving daily and staff capacity is insufficient.

At the border there are no water sources, no toilets, no accommodations, and no medical facilities.

It is expected that 10,000 people will come to the Transit Centre. It is not a camp but a settlement place, where small pieces of land are allotted to families. Shelter and sanitation are problematic. There are six boreholes but five are broken leaving the refugees to resort to drinking muddy swamp water.

2.       Why is an ACT responses needed?

ACT member LWF Uganda received an official request from the Office of the Prime Minister. The forum takes the request seriously and is preparing an RRF or a multi-country appeal to provide support (still under discussion by the forum). The request is for ACT Alliance to respond to the immediate water and sanitation needs, to provide more clothes and non-food items, and to address the call for staff at the transit centre and settlement site. The RRF or appeal will follow after further consultation with ACT Alliance members in the country. A field assessment was carried out (document available on request).

3.       National and international response

UNHCR and the Office of the Prime Minister are coordinating the response. Other agencies involved in the transit centre include: the Ugandan Red Cross (staffing), WFP (food), MSF (medical) and ADRA (NFI). In the refugee settlement area other organisations are supporting.

4.       ACT Alliance response

Depending on the availably of funds, priority will be given to provision of water and sanitation services to prevent an outbreak of water borne-diseases at the resettlement site. Provision of clothes for the vulnerable, non-food items and possible assistance in the form of staffing will be given at the transit centre. The ACT forum needs indication of support to determine the content of their response

5.       Planned activities

As the situation is dynamic, specificity on the type and number of activities is difficult. It is unclear how long the fighting will continue. It is quite possible that the conflict escalates and thousands more Congolese will enter Uganda.

The main goal of ACT Alliance Uganda is to provide support to the areas where the SPHERE minimum standards are not being met.  Therefore, there is a high degree of flexibility required as the situation unfolds.

Activities presently discussed with UNHCR include:

• Provision of staff to assist with registration and camp management at the transit centre
• Provision of staff to assist monitoring water activities at both the transit centre and settlement site
• Provision of staff to promote hygiene and sanitation practices and facilities at both the transit centre and settlement site

• Urgent provision of water and sanitation services to prevent an outbreak of water-borne diseases at the resettlement site, rehabilitation of five boreholes
• Training of five water user committees
• Provision of more clothes, blankets and other non-food items
• Construction of wash rooms and domestic latrines
• Awareness raising among refugees and national population on hygiene and sanitation practices

 

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jean-Daniel Birmele, Director of Finance ACT Alliance (jbi@actalliance.org)