Refugees: Address resource constraints

Last week, the UN’s special adviser on genocide prevention, Mr Adama Dieng, said more than 52,000 South Sudanese fled to Uganda in January alone. Continued fighting in South Sudan has displaced entire communities primarily from towns south of the capital Juba. The fleeing South Sudanese have given accounts of the killing of civilians, destruction of homes and sexual violence.
Since the flare-up of clashes in the volatile country last year, the political situation remains uncertain, with ongoing clashes posing a great risk to the population and there are fears of mass atrocities. Mr Dieng said in a statement that he was particularly alarmed by the situation in Kajo-Keji, South Sudan, where fleeing civilians have said they fear mass violence. Moreover, the largest numbers of those fleeing are children and women – a vulnerable group that needs protection.

The prolonged influx of refugees into Uganda, especially the current arrivals in West Nile sub-region, poses great challenges for host communities who share resources with refugees, some of who do not live in camps. The huge numbers already stretch the capacity of relief agencies with collection points sometimes getting full to the extent that it becomes impossible to conduct head count.
This newspaper last week reported that the main hospital in Moyo, a district with a high refugee population and is just 27Km from Kajo Keji – South Sudan, had run out of essential drugs and supplies. The hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Joseph Arike, attributed the shortage to the increasing number of patients due to the refugee influx. The situation is likely to worsen as more refugees continue to enter into Uganda.

This development has affected effective service delivery since affected districts such as Moyo, Koboko, Arua, Yumbe and Adjumani since they did not plan for the large numbers they find themselves serving. These districts do not have enough resources to cater for the rising number of refugees yet some refugees do not want to be relocated to camps, preferring instead to integrate into the local communities.
In August last year, a section of South Sudanese refugees refused to be relocated from Adjumani to a resettlement centre at Bidibidi in Yumbe District because “the place does not have adequate health centres, water points and schools for their children”.
Uganda has an open door policy when it comes to hosting refugees and we have a record of being an excellent home for refugees. The thousands of South Sudanese seeking a safe home should no doubt be welcomed. However, the government and relief agencies should work closely to minimise resource constraints in refugee hosting communities.