Number of Sudanese refugees fleeing into Uganda rises, officials say

Kampala (dpa)- The number of Sudanese refugees fleeing into Uganda due to famine and factional rebel battles has risen to 550 during the past two weeks, relief officials have said.

The displaced are being housed in a camp run by relief organisations in the remote township of Kaabong, about 420 kilometres northeast of Kampala and pass through a game park while entering Uganda.

The number of regugees comikng in was up to 550 from 420 a week ago,'' Niino Tomoko, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Uganda told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Tuesday.

The civillians are moving from their villages in Southern Sudan's area Keupaza which has been hit by both famine and fighting within the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation SPLA.

Uganda already hosts about 180,000 Sudanese refugees who were flushed out of the homes by Sudan's long civil war pitting the christian SPLA and the lslamic government in Khartoum. dpa hw cro

AP-NY-11-30-99 0536EST

Copyright (c) 1999 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 11/30/1999 05:37:11