Rwanda/DRC: Tension could affect refugee aid, UN agency says

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern on Tuesday over ongoing tension in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), near the border with Rwanda, saying this could hinder its efforts to help refugees on both sides. The agency reported that following Rwanda's closure of the border on Sunday, no new arrivals had been reported in Rwanda's western province of Cyangugu. The government had given assurances that Congolese refugees would still be allowed to cross into Rwanda. Since 26 May, when fighting broke out between loyalist and dissident Congolese troops in the eastern Congolese town of Bukavu, thousands of refugees had crossed into Cyangugu before the announcement of the border closure.