UNHCR and partners seek urgent funds to help thousands of refugees fleeing to Uganda
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Families enter Uganda via the Bunagana border crossing after fleeing violent clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that began in late March. © UNHCR/Yonna Tukundane
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and 44 humanitarian partners are urgently appealing for US$47.8 million to respond to the critical needs of thousands of refugees who arrived in Uganda this year, fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and sporadic clashes in South Sudan.
Since January, Uganda has generously welcomed over 35,000 refugees. A third of those have arrived in just the past three weeks from the DRC, fleeing intense fighting in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
As reports of violence in eastern DRC and South Sudan continue, this appeal will also strengthen Uganda’s capacity to receive more refugees in case of further displacement.
UNHCR is coordinating with the Government of Uganda and humanitarian partners to provide emergency assistance and protection to refugees in border areas, and we are making efforts to relocate them to refugee settlements as soon as possible.
Needs are surging for protection, food, shelter and essential household items. Funding will also support urgently needed health-care supplies, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services required to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.
Uganda already hosts over 1.5 million refugees – the largest refugee population on the African continent – and is now receiving thousands of new arrivals from South Sudan, in West Nile State to the north, and the DRC, arriving in southwestern Uganda. While this influx may not be dominating the headlines, the challenges are significant and mounting.
The Uganda Emergency Appeal is intended to support coordinated efforts for an initial emergency response to the influx of up to 60,000 refugees in Uganda in the first half of 2022, with 45,000 new arrivals from April to June 2022.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Kampala, Leslie Velez, [email protected], +256 770 832 111
- In Nairobi (regional), Tina Ghelli, [email protected], +254 078 488 087
- In Geneva, Boris Cheshirkov, [email protected], +41 79 433 76 82
- In New York, Kathryn Mahoney, [email protected], +1 347 443 7646