( dpa ) - The Ugandan military said Wednesday that it is on high alert amid operations being carried out by the Kenyan armed forces against tribal militias in its western mountainous area.
The Kenyan army and its paramilitary unit, using ground and aerial forces, were combing the Mount Elgon area for the tribal Saboat militias who have been carrying out attacks against other tribes, complaining over what they call unequal land distribution.Hundreds of people have been displaced within Kenya and there are reports that many others are heading into neighbouring Uganda.
"There has been no spill-over of the fighting yet but we are on high alert for any spill-over. Our troops have been put on alert in case," Uganda military spokesman Major Paddy Ankunda told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
"The number of people fleeing the Mount Elgon area is not yet significant but in case of a mass influx, we have a contingency plan that will accommodate 35,000 Kenyan refugees," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Roberta Russo told dpa.
Provision has been made for those fleeing the Mount Elgon area and the violence that followed in the wake of Kenya's disputed elections in late December, she said.
The plan was being co-ordinated with non-governmental aid groups, Russo told dpa.
Uganda is already home to 12,000 Kenyan refugees who fled the violence that followed the highly-disputed December presidential elections.