Uganda returns Congolese police officers who fled violence

Uganda returns Congolese police officers who fled violence

Uganda handed over the almost 100 Congolese police officers who had fled across the border to Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda to escape fighting between M23 rebels and Congo's military, a Ugandan military spokesperson said Friday.

The statement said the police officers’ national identities had been confirmed, and that they had been allowed to enter Uganda as an act of humanity and in line with international law.

The officers were handed over along with their weapons, ammunition and other arms, the statement by Major Kiconco Tabaro, a Ugandan military spokesperson, said. Tabaro said that refugees continued to flow over the Ugandan border to escape the ongoing violence in eastern Congo.

The M23 has been waging a renewed insurgency in Congo's militia-plagued east since 2022. In June, the M23 seized the town of Kanyabayonga, which is on high ground making it a gateway to other parts of eastern Congo's North Kivu province.

Efforts by Congo's military to push back the rebels have intensified over the past year with the use of drones and aircraft, although the rebels have still expanded territory under their control.

Fighting in North Kivu has driven more than 1.7 million people from their homes, taking the total number of Congolese displaced by multiple conflicts to a record 7.2 million, according to U.N. estimates.