KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda, one of Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nations, has announced a major policy shift, stating it will stop granting refugee status to new arrivals from countries currently not embroiled in conflict. This decision comes as the government grapples with dwindling international donor support amid a continually rising influx of refugees.
Minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Hilary Onek, confirmed the directive, emphasizing that the policy targets countries where active warfare has ceased or is not prevalent.
“I have instructed our officers not to give refugee status to citizens coming from those countries because there is no war there, particularly those from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia,” Minister Onek said.
He clarified that the government would not revoke the refugee status of individuals who have already been registered, but it will no longer accept new applications from the specified nations.
Funding shortfalls and refugee influx
Minister Onek made the remarks last week in Gulu during the official handover of 2,544 metric tonnes of rice, a donation worth $2.9 million from the Government of Korea to the World Food Programme (WFP).
The food aid is designated to feed 600,000 refugees across 13 settlements, as well as 200,000 schoolchildren in the food-insecure Karamoja Sub-region for one year.
The Minister detailed the severe financial strain placed on the country, noting that the national refugee population is nearing two million people and continues to grow daily.
“The refugee number is now going to two million and it is increasing every day. We’ve been receiving between 100 and 200 refugees every day from DR Congo. Even from South Sudan, which we thought was peaceful, refugees are still flowing in from there. So, we wish the government there tolerates their political opposition so that they can agree to work together and let their people go back home,” Mr. Onek said.
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He highlighted that Uganda’s welcoming refugee policy, which grants freedom of movement, the right to work and trade, and access to citizen services, ‘‘loads us heavily, economically.’’
Donor crisis
The Minister provided stark figures illustrating the funding crisis, revealing that the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) used to provide Uganda with $240 million per year to support the refugee program. With the population nearly doubling, the support has dropped dramatically.
“This year, they received only $18 million. So, the situation is dire, and it is our people who shoulder those costs, which the UNHCR used to handle,” he warned. The Minister estimated that Uganda now spends approximately Ush2 billion (Ugandan Shillings) annually on the needs of refugees.
Minister Onek concluded by noting that Uganda is engaged in diplomatic efforts with governments of conflict-affected states to encourage peace and stability, paving the way for the voluntary return of refugees.
“We are in discussion with those governments, although those with many factions look at Uganda as though we are interfering. But we have not given up because they have to come to terms, have some tolerance, and enable their citizens to go back,” Mr Onek stated.
