At least 18,000 Congolese refugees have fled to Uganda following fresh clashes in the central African nation, the Uganda Red Cross said on Friday.
The Red Cross estimates that another 10,000 may be seeking to enter Uganda. The refugees started pouring in on Thursday.
Ugandan military forces said the refugees were fleeing the fighting between Congolese government forces and Ugandan dissidents, called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The ADF is a Muslim insurgent group that Kampala claims has ties to Somalia’s Islamist militia, al-Shabaab. The ADF has been waging a low-intensity insurgency against Uganda since the 1990s.
The refugees are housed in transit camps around the border town of Bundibugyo. Emergency supplies — tents, water tanks and food — are being transported to the area, the Red Cross said.
