DRC May 2006 |
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| Basongora deported from DRC, (The Monitor, 2006-05-05):-The number of Ugandans evicted from Viringa National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 1,553. According to results of the registration exercise conducted by the Uganda Red Cross Society, there are 259 families camping at Nyakatonzi District Agricultural Mechanized Farm in Mukunyu sub-county. During an interview with Daily Monitor on April 27, the Head of the Uganda Red Cross's Disaster Action Team, Mr Libolio Kithaghenda, said the evictees lack food. "They told us they are not used to eating posho. Their main problem is food," he said. Recently, the World Food Programme distributed nine metric tones of maize flour, beans and cooking oil to the evictees. Kithaghenda said the group fetches water from one borehole near Nyakatonzi Primary School. He said since the borehole cannot provide water to all residents, some have resorted to fetching water from Nyamugasani River. "Because of water scarcity, a 20-litre jerrycan goes for Shs200 and people can't afford to buy water at that rate," he said. The district Secretary for Health, and Children Affairs, Mr John Tinkasimire, appealed to the office of the district director of health services to vaccinate animals belonging to the evictees to contain disease spread. In March, the Basongora ethnic group were deported from the DR Congo for occupying Virunga National Park illegally. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |