NORTHERN PROVINCE

GATUNA — Only 767 refugees were repatriated from Uganda on Thursday, a day before the deadline elapsed.
The deadline set for the repatriation of all Rwandan refugees from Uganda was set at July 31 2009. "Only 5531 refugees have been repatriated since the beginning of this exercise,” the Executive Secretary for the National Council of Refugees Innocent Ngango said in an interview with The New Times.

Earlier on Tuesday another group of 290 people arrived through Gatuna border.

The latest group was received at Gatuna border late in the afternoon by UNHCR and Ministry of Local government officials. They were transported to Gicumbi transit camp, which is about 30km from the border to be facilitated in settling to their respective districts.

"Each family of returnees shall be availed with food to last for three months, including household necessities to enable them settle in their respective districts”, said a Ministry of Local Government official at the transit camp, Mark Shakagabo.

Ngango explained that a meeting aimed at finding ways of repatriating the remaining refugees still living in different camps in Uganda will be held next week in Kigali.

The meeting slated for August 6 will bring together Ugandan and Rwandan government officials and will be attended by officials of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), also meant to evaluate the repatriation exercise.

"The meeting shall study ways of repatriating about 15,000 more Rwandan refugees still remaining in camps of Nakivale, Oruchinga, Kyaka 11 and Kyangwari refugee settlements in Uganda,” added Ngango.

Ends