More than 4,000 refugees fleeing conflict in Katanga province have crossed into northern Zambia since Friday, UNHCR said today. The new arrivals said more Congolese were on their way as anti-government rebels were reportedly attacking targets south of the town of Moba on Lake Tanganyika.
The refugees were scattered along the border near the Zambian towns of Kaputa and Nsumbe, UNHCR said. There is an urgent need for plastic sheeting and sanitation facilities for the refugees, as it has been raining heavily in the area over the past several days and many of the arrivals are sleeping in the open. Zambian security forces disarmed and held several hundred Congolese soldiers and policemen near the border, UNHCR added.
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