Fleeing to Uganda gave Emmanuel Tuyisenge something he could never have obtained in the east of his native Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)a territory shaken by more than a hundred rebel groups: being able to imagine a different future.
“There is a war in the Congo. There you see other people dying around you. And when you see that, you can’t think about anything other than that you too can die. That’s why we decided to leave.” says Tuyisenge.
In that scenario, there was no point in making plans. The situation worsened in 2022, when fighting by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group intensified.
Then everything fell apart. It was impossible to cultivate because both the Army and the insurgents turned the orchards into combat fields. The children could not study because it was dangerous, they were kidnapped to force them to fight.
For Tuyisenge, escape was the only option. This 49-year-old man, his wife, and his seven children began running in the opposite direction of the gunshots. They separated. But they met again in Uganda, where they have lived for about a year.
They reside in the Nakivale refugee settlement, one of the most populated in Africa.+
“When we arrived, we had nothing,” says Tuyisenge. But little by little we have begun to settle. Now we have gardens. When we harvest, we can eat our own food. And most importantly: we have peace.”
This family also has a simple two-bedroom house in a quiet corner of Nakivale.
Small birds flit from branch to branch in some nearby trees, while dozens of children play among lush corn fields, which now far exceed their size.
Tuyisenge watches all this and smiles. She has a plan: open a hair salon.
To develop his project he receives cash from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which has a program to financially support refugees like him.
He proudly shows some objects he has bought for his hair salon: a solar panel, scissors, a razor. Tuyisenge would love to use the profits from that business to pay for her children’s education in Uganda.
“Well, if we look at history… I have never seen peace in the Congo,” he laments. And I think my children are not going to know her either.”
A generous Uganda towards refugees
Uganda is the adopted home of more than 1.6 million refugees, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
They come from South Sudan, DRC or Burundi, among other countries, and have found what that organization has described as one of the most generous reception policies in the world.
Among other benefits, refugees receive food every month, although the rations are barely enough to feed a family.
They are also given a small plot to grow crops, blankets, mats and mosquito nets. And they may choose to leave their settlements, like Nakivale, to find a job or start a business elsewhere.
185,990 people live in Nakivale alone. It is the oldest refugee settlement in Africa, recognized as such since 1960.
It is in a rural and fertile area of southwestern Uganda. It has become a small city, with a vibrant center in which trucks loaded with agricultural crops mix with motorcycle taxis rushing from one place to another, businesses that advertise their products with loud music, and hustlers selling street food.
The shop signs are in several languages: Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Tigrinya, French, English…
Congolese Ariane Umuhoza, 31, fled to this settlement after rebels killed her sister’s husband.
“Life is a bit tough in Nakivale, but we try to get by. Now, with the support of IFRC we can pay our children’s school fees and buy more food,” comments. Additionally, she has opened a small grocery store that she runs with her husband.
Umuhoza says he liked his life in the DRC before the rebels destroyed it. The children could study. Their gardens produced enough food. But she can’t go back, she’s afraid.
“Whatever has to happen to me, has to happen to me in Uganda. “I can’t go back to the Congo.”she says, as she tries to build a new life for herself and her four children here, far from the horror of war.
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Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
