KAMPALA: Twenty-six Congolese refugees at a fast-growing camp in western Uganda died from acute diarrhoea in just three days, the UN said yesterday, reports AFP. Tens of thousands of people have fled an upsurge of fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, many of them arriving weak and unwell at Ugandan camps that are struggling to accommodate them. “The number of deaths caused by acute diarrhoea is 26 over the period from 15 to 18 February,” said Duniya Aslam Khan, spokeswoman in Uganda for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

“All reported cases and all victims are newly arrived Congolese refugees,” she added. The deaths were recorded at the Kyangwali camp close to Lake Albert where there are also fears of a cholera outbreak.