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“They have been given a month to leave. In my view, they have a month too long,” he said.
One of his victims, John Githongo, who was killed by Kagabe on 12 August in a case that has fuelled an unprecedented surge in violence against refugees, also demanded the government hand over names of the assailants. An official in the minister’s office confirmed that Githongo had gone to the prosecutor’s office, complaining of “brutal treatment”.
Kagera told the AP news agency that he had “reiterated” to the government, and to officials in the public relations agency, that Githongo had been “brutally and unnecessarily” killed.
He said he was meeting officials from the public relations agency and the police to discuss the security situation.
“I told them to work on the issue of the security of my people, and in particular those who have been displaced from the city,” he said. “We have to take special care to protect them.”
“They have no right to demand the names of my people who have nothing to do with this conflict and who are not involved in the incident,” he added. “We are trying to find out about any plans they have to harm our people.”
The conflict between the Kagabe forces and the government supporters in the north is at a boiling point. At least 10,000 people have fled Kansala this month and are camped out in Nkurunuswori village on the edge of the city. On Tuesday, soldiers from the city of Jinja arrived to protect an estimated 50 families of people sheltering in the village.
Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees have crossed the border to neighbouring Uganda from Rwanda and Tanzania into Kenya. Refugees in the city have reportedly blocked roads leading to the Kenyan border, cutting off access to some residents.
The crisis in Uganda has also affected the refugee crisis in neighbouring Kenya. On Wednesday, a meeting of refugees and international organisations held in Nairobi said the situation in the south of the country
