Congolese refugees flee into Uganda

(Vatican Radio) Ugandan officials are calling for an emergency meeting today in Ethiopia to discuss how to end violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The meeting is expected to convene one day after Ugandan Disaster Preparedness Minister said that more than 16,000 Congolese have sought refuge in Uganda.

The refugees are fleeing violence that has recently intensified as government forces try to subdue mutinous rebels in Congo's east.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is assisting those who have fled to Uganda, leaving everything behind.

“Some of the civilians were wounded and the ICRC has been able to provide some medical supplies to enable the hospitals in Kisoro district which is the main hospital in this region”, says the ICRC’s spokesperson in Kampala, Adebayo Olowo-Ake.

He also told Lydia O’Kane that the Red Cross is providing a telephone service so that refugees can contact their families left behind in the DRC. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Adebayo Olowo-Ake