Situation in Numbers
Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Uganda
112,741 of South Sudanese children affected (OPM December 16, 2015)
173,447 of affected South Sudanese people (OPM December 16, 2015)
149,164 of affected South Sudanese women & children (OPM December 16, 2015)
511,867 of refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda (OPM December 16, 2015)
UNICEF Appeal 2015
US $20.8 million funding gap
UNICEF 2015 appeal is US$36.1 million
to address critical needs for refugees from South Sudan, DRC and Burundi, as well as chronic vulnerability in Karamoja and other natural disasters.
Highlights
As of 24th November, 2015, UNICEF and partners have supported over 173,447 (34% of Refugee/asylum seekers in Uganda) South Sudanese in Uganda since the influx began in mid-December 2013. The majority of South Sudan Refugees are hosted in Adjumani, Arua, Kiryandongo and Kampala. Of these, 46,034 are new arrivals in 2015.
Over 9,174 severely malnourished children have been managed in Outpatient Therapeutic Centres and 1,580 children in Inpatient Therapeutic Centres since December 2013.
44 caregivers, 11 community mobilisers and 90 children management committee members benefited from capacity building training aimed at improving children’s education quality in the ECD centres in Adjumani district.
A total of 64,316 children have been reached (36,002 Males and 28,314 Females) with peace building activities amongst the refugee children in partnership with War Child Canada and World Vision International.
1,585 (629 Male and 956 Female) SMC, PTA, parents and community leaders were sensitized on Conflict Sensitive Education and 13 peer-to-peer support systems for peace with 182 pupils were established and all participants were trained.
85 teachers (53 male, 32 female) were trained on independent and organized sports and activity days for Primary School Children, which has benefited over 35,608 children both in and out of school.
In Kiryandongo, a total of 100 adolescents are undergoing a handcrafts skills training in making paper beads, beaded bags, envelopes and bracelets, among others.
Approximately 28,472 refugee and national children under 5 years of age in Adjumani have been registered using the National Mobile Vital Registration System.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The situation in South Sudan remains volatile. A total of 1,265 refugees arrived from South Sudan between 11 and 20 December 2015 mainly through Elegu (885) and Kuluba (287) collection points and Apriti Entry Point (123). South Sudanese refugees recently started crossing into Uganda through two new border entry points in Lamwo district about 12kms from the Apiriti Immigration Point, this is the first time new arrivals have been reported at these locations. In Kiryandongo, the average daily arrival rate has increased from 40 to 76 individuals in the past two weeks. The majority of the new arrivals are Dinkas from Twic East and a few Nuer from Malakal, most of them being women, children and the elderly, citing increased armed fighting between government and rebel groups, with associated violence and human rights abuses.
The vast majority of the new arrivals cross in to Uganda through Nimule and Kaya Border Points. Refugees coming from Upper Nile areas have cited famine (which has been reported in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states) and fighting between armed groups in Pari, Malakal and Bentui. In addition, new arrivals are citing congestion in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound and lack of social services as reasons for fleeing South Sudan. Other reasons include formation of unspecified new rebel groups, community killings, abduction of people from their homes and conflict over resources (grazing pasture/land), which they claim has taken a political dimension.
In Adjumani and Arua, the joint (OPM, UNHCR and Partners) physical verification of all refugees was completed. Verified refugees, of 16 years and above, received identity cards with five-year validity as new individual documentation complementing the family attestation.
The 2006 Refugee Act and 2010 Refugee Regulations are under review. UNICEF is participating, along with partners, district officials, local councils, and refugee welfare councils. Some inconsistent and conflicting provisions have been observed in the existing Act. There are also some new relevant laws resulting from dynamism propagated by terrorism, smuggling, and trafficking that call for review if refugee rights are to be fully respected. OPM is undertaking field consultations, with the exercise estimated to take six months (at district level) before the national review.
Within the overall refugee response, there are still gaps in health, nutrition, education, child protection and WASH services that require immediate support to keep affected children alive and thriving, safe and learning.