Thousands of Congo refugees flee fighting to Uganda

KAMPALA, Dec 6 (Reuters) At least 12,000 refugees fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have crossed over the border into southwest Uganda, a Ugandan army spokesman said today.

Heavy fighting broke out in eastern Congo last month after rebels led by dissident General Laurent Nkunda attacked and forced out government soldiers near the town of Sake.

The army spokesman for western Uganda, Tabaro Kiconco, told Reuters by telephone the refugees fled into Kisoro district after clashes occurred on the Congolese side about 15km from the Ugandan border.

''Yesterday, after that fighting started, over 12,000 refugees fled to the Ugandan side and are currently camped in two places,'' he said.

UN peacekeepers in Congo battled Nkunda's men last week using helicopter gunships, heavy weapons and armoured vehicles in skirmishes that killed 150 rebels -- the highest recorded death toll of any battle involving UN forces in Congo.

The Congolese army have since regained their positions but sporadic clashes have persisted.

''The fighting is continuing,'' Kiconco said. ''We are monitoring our borders and have increased numbers of security personnel in the region. If the conflict spills over (the border) we shall repel it.'' He added that refugees would have to register with local authorities to be allowed to stay.

''The refugees must identify themselves so we know they are not a security threat,'' he said.

Uganda fears that Congo's chaotic eastern provinces are a haven for rebels trying to destabilise it by launching incursions over the border, ostensibly the reason it joined Rwanda to invade Congo in a 1998-2003 war.

During the war, which drew in six neighbouring countries and a plethora of armed groups, Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi, fought for Rwandan-backed rebels hunting the Hutu militia who took part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide against Tutsis.

The latest flare-up came as Congo's newly elected President Joseph Kabila was to be inaugurated today, winding up a long peace process aiming to restore stability to the huge country.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is sending a team to Kisoro this week to assess the plight of the refugees.

REUTERS LL VC1455