Camp in Nyamagabe to be redesigned

The UNHCR has hired a specialised architect to redesign a new camp in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province, that is designated to accommodate Congolese refugees fleeing the war-stricken eastern region of the DRC.The new site at Kigeme is expected to accommodate the refugees presently crammed at Nkamira Transit Centre in Rubavu District.The camp formerly sheltered Burundian refugees who had fled their country due to insurgencies, and have since returned home.“We did not have a specialist in construction of refugee camps but, fortunately, UNHCR has brought one from Nairobi. I think in three days, the site plan will be done before we start construction works,” Antoine Ruvebana, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs, said.He said the camp required a specialised contractor to design diverse aspects particularly location of water pipes, toilets, kitchens, among others, according to the official.Ruvebana, however, mentioned that the Kigeme site would not be commensurate to number of Congolese refugees, adding that plans are underway to acquire more land around the same area to put up more refugees. The camp will be in place within two weeks, according to Ruvebana. Meanwhile, the Director of Refugees Affairs in the Ministry, Jean Claude Rwahama, who is camped in Rubavu, disclosed the number of Congolese refugees had reached 8,340.He noted that more refugees continued to stream in through the Cyanika border in the Northern Province and redirected to the Nkamira centre. The Congolese started flocking into the country towards the end of last month; they are fleeing renewed fighting in the volatile eastern DRC’s North Kivu province between the national armed forces and deserters.Rwanda has for over the past decade, been home to over 55,000 Congolese refugees.

National

Camp in Nyamagabe to be redesigned