The African Union (AU) said it appreciated Uganda's peace-making role in the great Lakes region, saying that Uganda's efforts had borne fruit in the region.

The remarks were made by the leader of the AU delegation, Ambassador George Liswaniso on Thursday when meeting Ugandan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of regional cooperation Augustine Nshimye in Kampala.

A press release quoted by the Radio Uganda said Liswaniso informed the Ugandan state minister that they are in the region to assess the problem of refugees in the affected countries and recommend to the AU council and assembly accordingly.

He hoped their findings and recommendations would compel the AU to mobilize resources for the region.

Minister Nshimye briefed the delegation on various issues ranging from the refugees from the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as well as the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda.

He said Uganda's new policy on IDPs aims at decongesting the camps as well as assisting those who resettle with basic necessities.

Uganda is currently hosting 230,000 refugees from neighboring countries. Among them, 188,000 are from Sudan and others from Rwanda and the DRC.

Source: Xinhua