Nearly 100 police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to Uganda over the weekend as fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese military escalated in eastern Congo, a Ugandan military spokesperson said on Monday.
The officers, armed with 43 guns and ammunition, crossed into Uganda via the Ishasha border in Kanungu district and were disarmed upon arrival, according to Major Kiconco Tabaro, regional spokesperson for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.
“They were fleeing fighting by M23 and other militias, and the Congo military. There’s a lot of violence and hunger,” Tabaro said.
In addition to the police officers, at least 2,500 Congolese refugees have entered Uganda over the past four days, driven by the intensifying violence and insecurity. The refugees include pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and young children.
The M23 has been leading a new insurgency in Congo’s east since 2022. A recent United Nations report claimed that the Ugandan army supported the Tutsi-led rebel group, an allegation Uganda denies. The U.N. has also accused Rwanda of backing the M23, which Rwanda denies.
Congo’s military efforts to repel the rebels have increased over the past year, utilizing drones and aircraft, yet the M23 has continued to expand its controlled territory. In June, the M23 captured the strategically important town of Kanyabayonga in North Kivu province.
The conflict in North Kivu has displaced more than 1.7 million people, contributing to a record 7.2 million Congolese displaced by multiple conflicts, according to U.N. estimates.