HIGHLIGHTS
A total of 11,705 South Sudanese refugees arrived in Uganda in January. For the first four days of February, 425 individuals have been received.
The number of south Sudanese coming into Uganda is decreasing with this week’s average daily arrival at 197 individuals, a decrease compared to 333 last week and 422 the week before. However, it remains higher than roughly 100 per day we were receiving last year. New arrivals are continuing to report violence between armed groups that are also attacking civilian populations and razing villages. They also cite hunger due to the continued violence that made it extremely difficult for them to go to the fields and cultivate crops, further exacerbated by the decreasing value of the South Sudanese pound. Refugees are informing UNHCR staff that they don’t foresee a change to the insecurity any time soon and as such, expect others from South Sudan to follow them in fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Majority of the new arrivals are Dinkas, Nuers and Acholi, with a few Madi and Zande, mostly from Unity State, Jonglei, Western and Eastern Equatorial states.
Most of the new arrivals are entering Uganda through Elegu border point in the West Nile district of Adjumani. Notably, this includes those fleeing from Western Equatoria, despite the fact the Kuluba border point in Arua is closer. The new arrivalsfrom this area are telling UNHCR staff this is because insecurity in Central Equatoria, particularly in Yei, making it increasingly dangerous to travel through the region, and so they instead choose to first travel to Juba and then onwards to Uganda through Elegu.