113 DR Congolese refugees return home after weekend rebel attack

At least 113 Congolese refugees who crossed into Uganda Monday following attacks by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have returned home, a relief organization said here Tuesday.

Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) said in a statement that asylum seekers who crossed into Uganda’s border district of Kasese fleeing the weekend ADF attacks returned home in the DRC’s Kasindi town.

“This is after the group was convinced by the DRC forces that normalcy is restored. They were also worried about their property and relatives back home,” said URCS in a statement. “Our response action teams walked them to the border. We continue to monitor the situation as we retaliate our commitment of being there to supporting all people affected by emergencies in a bid to save lives.”

The ADF, a branch of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group based in the jungles in eastern DRC. The rebel group is blamed for causing havoc in villages in eastern DRC.

The Ugandan military and their DRC counterparts launched joint operations against the rebel group in November 2021. Enditem