Uganda has returned nearly 100 Congolese police officers who fled to Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda amid clashes between M23 rebels and Congo’s military, a Ugandan military spokesperson reported on Friday.
The officers’ identities were verified, and they were allowed entry into Uganda as a humanitarian gesture consistent with international law, according to the statement by Major Kiconco Tabaro, the spokesperson.
Along with the police officers, Uganda handed over their weapons, ammunition, and other arms. The officers had crossed the border seeking refuge due to escalating violence in eastern Congo, the statement added.
Major Tabaro noted that more refugees continue to cross into Uganda, fleeing ongoing unrest in eastern Congo as the M23 rebels intensify their insurgency since 2022, gaining strategic ground.
The fighting in North Kivu province has displaced over 1.7 million people, contributing to a record 7.2 million internally displaced Congolese, per U.N. estimates, as Congo’s military struggles to reclaim rebel-held territory.
