Refugees run gauntlet of lions to escape Congo fighting

TREE-CLIMBING lions are among the perils facing thousands of Congolese refugees as they flee into neighbouring Uganda to escape a new upsurge of fighting.

The route to sanctuary leads through the rugged Virunga and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, prowled by a group of lions famed for hiding in trees, leopards and other wild beasts.

Katsuva Paluku, the head of a family of four that straggled into the refugee camp at Ishasha from Rutshuru in Democratic Republic of Congo, said two women vanished in the park.

"We fear they've been eaten by lions," the 33-year-old said. "When people move in small groups of three or four, the lions don't spare them. What we did was to wait for other families and then walk in a big group of 30 or 40."

Forces loyal to the Congolese Tutsi rebel leader, General Laurent Nkunda, launched a new offensive in August, routing government troops and seizing swathes of territory in North Kivu province.