03The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), says about 10,000 displaced Congolese refugees are skeptical and reluctant to return to their villages after they had escaped the conflict in North Kivu following fighting between the national army and M23 rebels.

The refugees had managed to flee across the border as conflict erupted last week in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with thousands of them fleeing into neighboring Uganda.

But with the situation brought under control and normalcy returned, the government wants the refugees to return to their villages but the people are reluctant fearing for their lives, according to the UN agency.

We have received only 9% of the overall funding needs of $343.3 million for our operations in Uganda this year, a country that hosts the most refugees in Africa. 

Just this week, thousands have arrived from DR Congo following violent clashes. https://t.co/OWj9XSgY9p

— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) April 2, 2022

The UN also noted that apart from the 10,000 refugees already in Uganda, about 36,000 civilians have also been displaced within the DRC due to the ongoing war.

Seka Junior, a resident of Rutshuru,
one of the besieged North Kivu villages, who escaped after the M-23 rebels struck, told the UN that many of the villagers preferred staying in Uganda rather than going back due to the uncertainty of the security situation in the country.

“Many other civilians who didn’t leave the country rushed to Rutshuru, where they found precarious shelter in schools or churches.

“The rebels are still in our villages, it’s too complicated to go back because we can’t live together; there may be other clashes and we will be victims,” he said.

The village of Bunagana in North Kivu was also the location where a UN helicopter crashed on Tuesday, killing all eight peacekeepers on board, with the M-23 rebels blamed for taking down the helicopter.

A United Nations (UN) helicopter carrying eight peacekeepers and UN observers was on Tuesday shot down by rebels in Congo, leaving no survivors.

The incident, confirmed by the Congolese army, revealed that the helicopter was carrying out reconnaissance for the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo along with another helicopter when it was attacked.

CBS News reported that the M23 rebel group on Monday attacked several villages including Tchanzu, Runyonyi, Ndiza and Tchengerero, according to the army statement.

Reacting to the incident, UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, revealed that a search and rescue operation found the wreckage and there were no survivors. “The bodies of the eight men were brought to Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city,” he said.

Dujarric added that “We convey our condolences to the governments and families of the six crew members from Pakistan and the two military staff from Russia and Serbia. An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is underway.”

Even though the main cause of the crash cannot be ascertained, Dujarric confirmed the helicopter was there to monitor the situation where there had been fighting but asked for patience as to the cause of its crash.

In its condolence message, Pakistan’s military issued a statement with the names of the six officers and soldiers on the helicopter, saying they “have embraced martyrdom.”

Report has it that Eastern Congo is prone to insecurity as several armed groups are vying for control of its mineral-rich lands. Last year, six park rangers were killed in a gorilla sanctuary by militiamen battling for control over natural resources and land in the eastern part of Congo.