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Ugandan soldiers have been deployed in the town of Bunia in Orientale Province, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, following a recent escalation of ethnic fighting, in which some 50 people were killed in five days, the Ugandan government-owned newspaper The New Vision reported on Thursday.
"The situation is clearly escalating, with the latest clashes between the Lendu and Alur tribes in the Nioka area. What surprises us is that the Alur are usually allies of the Lendu," the Kampala paper reported, quoting an unidentified source.
The newspaper reported that Alurs of Congolese origin fled towards Uganda after 400 of their homes were burnt by Lendus in clashes in Nioka. It quoted an eyewitness, Mordecai Odongo, as saying "many civilians and government officials" had taken refuge in the town of Mahagi, 30 km to the northeast of Nioka. He said the Lendus had first attacked the Alurs on 25 December, but were pushed back by supporters of the traditional chief of the Panduru clan.
The New Vision also quoted security sources on the Ugandan side of the border as saying that the Lendus had ambushed a Ugandan government army truck travelling from Mahagi to Bunia, within the Congo.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
