“We were informed yesterday Thursday March 5th, 2020 about the Public Notice to all refugees concerning leaders of the Congolese Refugee Community in Uganda who are getting money from their fellow refugees that they will resettle them to Sweden.” Said Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos, the Executive Director of Foundation People for Peace and Defense of Human Rights.
“It is important to note that we started saying about this since 2018 and if you had acted, we would have saved so many refugees up to now. It is on this ground that we strongly recommend accountability from the UNHCR why it failed to take action before and who are the officers concerned.” Mr. Musikami continued.
The human rights organization also exposed other scandals that include resettlement of individuals who might have committed crimes or hold evidence of high crimes in Uganda in order to obstruct justice.
“On the same note we have observed that most of refugees (middle-men ) who facilitated all various crimes and abuses against their fellow refugees by linking them to various stakeholders in UNHCR, OPM and Implementing partners, those refugees who facilitated of various scandals in refugee affairs in Uganda, at least basing to our observations 90% of these refugee middle-men have been resettled by UNHCR and we believe that it was a move to hide information from the Investigators.” Musikami said.
“These refugees were resettled deliberately during the period of 2016-2019 by UNHCR Resettlement Officers mainly Gemma Woods and Mutoni Angelique who we do believe that they were appointed here by the mafia just to execute such dirty task.” He further explained.
The human rights organization accused members of the Congolese Community, who are employed by the UNHCR of being former members of Kabila regime or M23 militias who are escaping Justice from DRC.
“This group is mainly composed of former warlords from different militia groups in DRCongo, spies from Kabila regime in DRCongo and members of M23 Rebel group which is based here in Uganda. It was a serious mistake which needs accountability to hand over refugees in Uganda to such kind of people in what was baptized Congolese Refugee Community.” Part of the statement reads.
“This team being part of armed groups and enjoying the support of Kazungu system in OPM up to now has the whole possibility to harm other refugees especially we who have strongly denounced such business of exploiting poor refugees.” The human rights organization said.
The organization calls on the UNHCR to investigate leaders and individuals such as Darlson Kusasira of OPM, Carol Kibukamu, Douglas Asiimwe and Patience from OPM and then Samuel, the current Executive Director of InterAid
“Much as it is a positive move to hold this group accountable but it is much important for UNHCR to seriously investigate it’s staffs especially the kind of support Carol Kibukamu gave to this group in order to exist and become strong, but also to ask the Government to investigate the roles of Douglas Asiimwe, Darlson Kusasira and Patience in this but also the support from InterAid.” Kulihoshi said.
Foundation People for Peace and Defense of Human Rights is a refugee led NGO working for the promotion of Peace and Human Rights in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and particularly for forced migrants rights in Uganda and in the region. They can be contacted through email at ppdruganda@gmail.com
