Uganda threatens to shut doors against refugees over food shortage
The deputy country director of World Food Programme Uganda, Mr Marcus Prior (left) receives rice donations from the Ambassador of Japan to Uganda, Fukazawa Hidemoto (right) as Eng Hilary Onek, the Minister for relief, disaster looks on at a function held at the Office or the Prime Minister Building . Photo/ Jane Nafula 9
What you need to know:
- Mr Onek revealed that although WFP has been able to buy about 75, 000 tonnes of maize grains and 35,000 tonnes of beans from Uganda to cater for the refugees, food insecurity was prevalent in various refugee settlements.
- Uganda now hosts 1.6 million refugees and between 90,000 and 100,000refugees flock into the country on a daily basis, according to government.
Uganda may be forced to review its open-door refugee policy, if the international community remains adamant about supporting the country to take care of the ever-growing population of refugees, a senior minister has warned.
Eng Hilary Onek, the Minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees said that Uganda is currently struggling to raise between $800m and $1.2 billion annually, to take care of refugees and that the country will be left with no choice, but to review its opens door policy so that it is not overstretched.
"A small country like Uganda is overstretched. The open-door refugee policy is costing us a lot. If the international community doesn't come to help and contain the situation, we may become hostile and review the policy. We feel sorry for the refugees, but it becomes a problem when it is abused. Those countries are obliged to take care of them," Eng Onek said.
“Help us to feed these people because their needs are not different from yours. If you eat three meals a day, make sure they do the same. At the moment refugees survive on one meal a day. This has forced some of them to turn into thieves and prostitutes to make ends meet," he observed during the signing ceremony for the exchange of 2,000 metric tonnes of rice, worth$2.2m, donated to World Food Programme (WFP) by the government of Japan at a function held at the Office of Prime Minister in Kampala.
Mr Onek revealed that although WFP has been able to buy about 75, 000 tonnes of maize grains and 35,000 tonnes of beans from Uganda to cater for the refugees, food insecurity was prevalent in various refugee settlements.
He also noted that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees( UNHCR) is struggling to get support from the international community to bail out millions of refugees in Uganda.
Uganda now hosts 1.6 million refugees and between 90,000 and 100,000refugees flock into the country on a daily basis, according to government.
Majority flee from their war-ravaged countries like South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia.
Despite a progressive asylum refugee support policy, refugees in Ugandan settlements have limited livelihood opportunities to sustain themselves and they continue to depend on humanitarian assistance.
Eng Onek commended the government of Japan for the consistent support rendered to refugees.
Mr Marcus Prior, the deputy Country Director of WFP IN Uganda, said they currently spend about $5m on the welfare of refugees in Uganda on a monthly basis.
Prior revealed that WFP supports 1.4 million refugees in Uganda with monthly food and cash assistance.
He noted that the UN food body needs $134 million to support refugees in 2024 and that priority will be given to the most vulnerable.
"In the face of limited resources, and following extensive consultations with refugees and key stakeholders, WFP is now prioritizing the most vulnerable Refugees for food assistance," Mr Prior who represented WFP's Uganda representative Mr Abdirahman Meygag said.
According to Mr Prior, the refugee households categorized as very vulnerable receive 60 percent of the size of the regular food rations while less vulnerable families receive 30 percent of the minimum food ration.
He noted that those categorized as not vulnerable have been weaned off food assistance and connected to long and sustainable term livelihood programmes.
The ambassador of Japan to Uganda, Fukazawa Hidemoto said the support is in line with Japan's commitment to provide humanitarian support Uganda at a time when the country is overwhelmed by the influx of refugees and multiple crises.
" We are targeting new refugees in reception and transit centres because the time right after fleeing crisis is of extreme difficulty and vulnerability," he said.
