KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - Uganda's government is defending the forced repatriation of 1,700 Rwandan refugees, action that the U.N. Refugee Agency has condemned.

Government Minister Tarsis Kabwegyere said Tuesday that the Rwandans were forced out of the country last week because they had no refugee status and had become a security risk.

Security concerns have risen in Uganda since twin bombings July 11 during the World Cup Final killed 76 people.

The U.N. Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said Ugandan authorities used false pretenses to round up the refugees. UNHCR said two refugees died when they jumped off trucks en route to Rwanda, and children were separated from parents.

Kabwegyere says Uganda still hosts 10,000 Rwandans who hold refugee status.
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