More DRC soldiers flee to Zambia

Another group of 800 soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have crossed the border into Zambia over the last two days, the UN refugee body said. A UNHCR spokesman in Zambia told IRIN on Thursday that the soldiers form part of the 15,000 new refugees who have entered the northern border town of Kaputa from the war-torn DRC since Tuesday. “The influx of refugees crossing into Zambia from DRC now averages about 200-300 people per day,” Dominik Bartsch said. Meanwhile, he said the 750 DRC soldiers who had arrived in Zambia last week had been returned to the DRC. “The agreement to return the soldiers to the DRC was reached between the governments of Zambia and the DRC and the UNHCR was not involved in the process,” Bartsch said.