120 Congolese refugees in Uganda die from coronavirus in 40 days

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - In the last 40 days at least 120 Congolese refugees have died from the coronavirus, according to refugee leaders living in Uganda’s capital of Kampala.

They told Anadolu Agency that the deaths could have been prevented if the victims had received medical assistance but they did not access it because Uganda is under a coronavirus lockdown and civilians are not allowed to leave their homes.

Congolese have fled their country because of war.

Because of language barriers, most refugees in Kampala do not know the procedures to receive permission to go to hospitals during the lockdown.

The Congolese official in charge of social and economic affairs in the Congolese refugee community in Uganda, Arthur Musimangu, said: “We have lost 120 Congolese refugees ever since President Yoweri Museveni announced a COVID-19 total lockdown on June 13, 2021. I have information on all those who died. I made sure that I get their death certificates and I keep them safe.”

He said apart from the refugees not having enough money to be treated at private hospitals, they are also harassed by police.

Once they get to know that they are refugees, police arbitrarily make arrests to get bribes before they are released.

“Ugandan policemen think that every Congolese deal in gold. They assume that we have a lot of money. They arbitrarily arrest Congolese and request a minimum of 100,000 shillings ($30) before they are set free. So some people die because of fear of being arrested by policemen as they go to hospitals,” he said.

Musimangu said that a language barrier also contributes to the misery of refugees.

Most Congolese do not know English or the local language -- they know French. Some end up in problems like when the president announces he is putting in place a curfew due to COVID-19. They end up moving at night and are arrested.

The legal officer of the Congolese refugee community in Uganda, Gideon Sangara, said he is aware that on average at least two refugees have died around Kampala in the last few weeks.

“Many of our people are dying because they have no access to treatment. They also complain that they are harassed by police,” he said.

Sangara said those who manage to go to government hospitals do not get medicine. They may get prescriptions from medical workers and are told to buy medicine from pharmacies but they have no money.

He said in the last two weeks, 25 refugees were arrested and he managed to get 20 released on bond but five are in police cells.

“Policemen in Uganda arrest Congolese so that they extort money from them. Of the hundreds of Congolese refugees they arrest, very few are taken to court to be charged. It is only those who can’t bribe their way out who are hanged in court and sent to jail,” he said.

Sangara said that unlike refugees living in various refugees camps in Uganda, refugees in Kampala and other urban areas are living on their own. He said in Kampala there are 50,000 Congolese refugees while in the rest of the county they are 500,000.

“Urban refugees do not get support from the Ugandan government or the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees). They live on their own. They are registered by the prime minister’s office and UNHCR but have to fight on their own for survival,” he said.

As community leaders, they do not have much money. “Recently we got a volunteer who gave us some food. We distributed it to a few of those who live not far from where we are located,” he said.

Ambrose Wambwe, a 40-year-old refugee in Kampala, said he lost his housemate because he had no money to take him to a hospital for treatment.

“I was with him until when he died. I had no money to take him to hospital,” he said.

Petit Musa, 25, said he was arrested last week while taking his sister to a hospital.

He said he bribed a policeman so that he would not take him to a police cell but had to return because of the lockdowns with his sick sister who later died because of a lack of medical care.

Authorities said refugees who are not in camps risk being arrested if they break the law.

“In fact, all refugees are supposed to be in refugee camps and those in towns are there on their own,” said police spokesman Fred Enanga.

He said authorities give adequate security to refugees in camps and suggested that refugees in Kampala stay in refugee camps.

But he condemned police who ask for bribes. He said there is a refugees’ liaison police officer in Kampala and advised all those who feel they were mistreated to report incidents.

Acting UHNCR spokeswoman in Uganda, Wendy Kasujja, told Anadolu Agency that “the Uganda urban refugees policy requires that the refugees who opt to stay in Kampala city should be self-reliant.”

She said UNHCR and its partners provide support to urban refugees with respect to access to registration, health and livelihoods.

But the regional coordinator of Global Refugee Leaders Forum, Pecos Kulihoshi Musikami, laughed off UNCHR’s contention that it supports urban refugees.

“For me, UHNCR Uganda collapsed a long time ago, since 2018 and cannot do anything more,” said Kulihoshi.