By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye
The United
Nations High Commission for Refuges UNHCR says South Sudan’s refugee crisis is now
the world’s fastest growing putting Uganda and region in critical need of help
Eight months after fresh violence
erupted in South Sudan, a famine produced by the vicious combination of
fighting and drought is now driving the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis.
Total displacement from South Sudan
into the surrounding region is now 1.6 million people. The rate of new
displacement is alarming, representing an impossible burden on a region that is
significantly poorer and which is fast running short of resources to cope.
Refugees are fleeing into Sudan,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic
with almost half crossing into Uganda at a rate of 2,000 new arrivals daily.
The influx peaked in February at more than 6,000 in a single day, In March, at more
than 5,000 with the current daily average of over 2,800 arrivals.
The facilities in northern Uganda
set up to deal with the newly arriving refugees from South Sudan are becoming
overwhelmed with the recent rains making matters worse.
Today’s situation in Uganda is
proving to be the first and major test of commitments made at last September’s
Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York, including a key commitment to
apply a game-changing approach to refugee situations worldwide - known as the
Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).
Uganda is a frontline state for this
new approach. Along with 5 other countries it has agreed to champion the CRRF
by taking actions to integrate humanitarian efforts with developmental ones.
These include providing land to refugees, including refugees in national
development plans, and allowing them to access job markets.
These efforts are at grave risk of
failing unless there is urgent and large-scale additional support. At present
funding for South Sudanese refugees in the region is at just 8 per cent out of
the required US$781.8 million. UNHCR’s own funding appeal for Uganda is short
by more than a quarter of a billion dollars (US$267 million).
