Congo soldiers unwanted in Zambia

Civilian refugees are more welcome than soldiers

By Ishbel Matheson in Kaputa

The senior government official in charge of the Zambian town of Kaputa, close to the Congolese border, said he wants the Congolese soldiers currently detained at camps there moved out.

Thousands of Congolese soldiers and civilians fled into northern Zambia when the town of Pweto fell to the Rwandan-backed rebels earlier this month.

The soldiers either surrendered or have been captured by the Zambian army and placed in special camps.

There are now over 1,000 of them in Kaputa, a town with a population of just 3,000, one long street and no electricity or running water.

Cholera fear

These people from Congo carry different kinds of diseases - if we catch them, we won't know how to cure them

Kaputa administrator, Emmanuel Chileshe

The district administrator in charge of the area, Emmanuel Chileshe, said he wanted them moved as soon as possible.

With so many extra people in town, he said, there was a risk of cholera.

Although there are armed guards at the camp, the Congolese are allowed to move in and out and queue up for water alongside the locals.

This worries Mr Chileshe.

"These people from Congo carry different kinds of diseases. If we catch them, we won't know how to cure them," he said.

Ebola worry

He didn't specify which diseases, but the well-publicised outbreak of Ebola in northern Uganda has been attributed to contact with soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Usually, we are friends with the Congolese, because we are neighbours

Zambian civil servant

The hospitality of Zambians has been tested to the limit by the sudden influx of Congolese.

Not only has it placed a strain on food supplies, but it has also reminded local people of their proximity to one of the most vicious conflicts in Africa.

"Usually, we are friends with the Congolese, because we are neighbours," said one civil servant.

"But now we're wondering whether we too are going to get dragged into this crazy Congolese war."