Six Arrested For Engaging In Subversive Activities at Refugee Transit Camp

http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=55452
Three Congolese and three Ugandan nationals have been arrested for allegedly engaging in subversive activities at the Bubukwanga Transit camp in Bundibugyo district. The Congolese suspects are Amis Bamwe aged 26, Jackson Baligerwa alias Mwanja and Gamazima Isaac. The Ugandans are Robert Musinguzi, Abdul Atoko, 29 and Friday Stanley 23, all residents of Bubukwanga trading centre.

Jimmy Katonyerera, the Ruwenzori Regional Police Commander told URN in a phone interview that the suspects and others still at large are said to have been recruiting men and youths to leave the camp and fight Allied Democratic Force-ADF rebels who are destabilizing parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Katonyerera says that when the suspects were interrogated, they said that they didn’t want to be relocated to Kyangwali Refugee Camp, but want to return to Kamango town and fight the rebels.

He says the suspects were found in possession of a list with names of those whom they had registered so far. Katonyerera says for the past two weeks, police has been receiving information from some refugees in the transit camp, that there are people claiming to be refugees and are persuading them to leave the camp to go and fight the ADF.  According to Katonyerera, police set up a trap and the suspects were arrested on Wednesday night.  They are currently detained at Bundibugyo Police station.

However, there are conflicting reports from security officials about whom the suspects were recruiting. While as Katonyerera says that they wanted to fight the ADF, a top security official in Bundibugyo district who preferred anonymity told Uganda Radio Network in a telephone interview that they have reports that the suspects are ADF collaborators, who were recruiting youths to join rebellion.

The source says that the Congolese suspects could have taken advantage of the laxity of security at the Busunga Border Post, when the first batch of refugees entered the district and sneaked into Bundibugyo disguised as refugees to enter the transit camp. The source says that they are yet to cross check with UNHCR officials at the camp to establish if the three Congolese were registered as refugees.