UGANDA: Aid workers pull out of Bundibugyo

The western Ugandan district of Bundibugyo is tense and the situation is deteriorating, media and humanitarian sources said on Thursday. A Ugandan defence ministry spokesman told IRIN the government had called on relief agencies to halt deliveries in the area because of insecurity. However, he added that "the situation is under control and it is only a matter of time". Rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have reportedly continued to "inundate" the area after crossing Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the last few weeks. Humanitarian sources told IRIN the ADF attacked Bundibugyo itself on Monday night after surrounding the town on many sides. But the defence ministry spokesman maintained that the increased presence of rebels in the area had resulted from the government's tactic of flushing them out of their bases in the DRC. "We decided to occupy their springboards/sanctuaries in DRC and deny them foreign support," he said. A WFP source told IRIN the government had asked it to suspend its relief deliveries in Bundibugyo because the area was insecure. The source confirmed that Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF-F) and ActionAid pulled out on Thursday. "The organisations want and plan to return as soon as security permits," the source said.