Congo refugees in Rwanda say soldiers shoot and wound at least two during food protest

Reuters

Published Feb 20, 2018 02:01PM ET

Congo refugees in Rwanda say soldiers shoot and wound at least two during food protest

By Clement Uwiringiyimana

KIGALI, Rwanda (Reuters) - Congolese refugees in Rwanda said soldiers shot at them and wounded at least two people on Tuesday as the refugees tried to march out of their camp in protest at a cut in food rations.

A government minister denied the account.

Refugees said around 2,000 people from the 17,000-strong Karongi camp in western Rwanda marched out of the camp to protest a 25 percent cut that began last month in the rations provided by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency made the cuts saying it faced funding problems.

"When we reached the town of Karongi the soldiers stopped us ... one soldier in a car asked others to shoot," Eugene Mukabasoni, a mother of three, told Reuters by phone, adding that soldiers beat refugees severely.

"I was beaten over the head with a stick," she said. Several refugees gave similar accounts and one told Reuters he was shot in the foot. Rwanda houses some 174,000 refugees, including 57,000 who came from Burundi.

De Bonheur Jeanne d'Arc, the minister for disaster management and refugees affairs, disputed the refugees' account.

"We are still in consultations over what should be done but we think no refugee should try to return home (to Congo) in protest," she told Reuters by phone.

"Soldiers shot no one. The soldiers stopped them and refugees started hurling stones. So obviously when people start using stones as many as they were, some get injured. I don't have information that even at least shot in the air."

Officials from UNHCR did not have an immediate comment. The agency and government are due to hold a news conference on Wednesday. Refugees would camp at a UNHCR office and not return to the camp, a refugee told Reuters.

Get The News You Want
Read market moving news with a personalized feed of stocks you care about.
Get The App

Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.

Sign out
Are you sure you want to sign out?
NoYes
CancelYes
Saving Changes