Uganda ill-prepared for Congo refugees

KAMPALA, Uganda, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Refugees fleeing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been pouring into Uganda, overwhelming border villages, U.N. relief officials said Friday.

At least 600 arrived Friday alone, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.

"It is very difficult for us to provide assistance to the refugees at the border, where the security situation is unstable and people are scattered in various villages," Stefano Severe, UNHCR representative in Uganda, said.

Almost 150,000 refugees are living in Uganda, one-third of them from Congo. About 6,500 recent arrivals are quartered in 12 villages scattered along the border.

Fighting between the Congolese army and the rebel forces led by Laurent Nkunda has killed hundreds of people in North Kivu and driven thousands more from their homes in recent weeks. This week, Nkunda declared a truce after his forces came within a few miles of the provincial capital, Goma.