KEY FIGURES
- Daily arrival figures from July 2016 are based on manual emergency registration or head-counts/wrist-banding. Confirmed figures will be available as the new arrivals undergo biometric registration. Figures prior to July are from the Government’s Refugee Information Management System (RIMS).
1,813 Number of new arrivals on Thursday 1st September
2,025 Number of new arrivals on Wednesday 31st August
104,771 Number of new arrivals after 1st July 2016 (as per field reports)
333,947 Total number of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda
PRIORITIES
Rapid relocation of refugees from reception facilities to new settlement areas
Continued monitoring of health situation (and potential disease outbreaks, especially cholera) in overcrowded reception facilities
Providing specialized and prioritized protection assistance to refugees with specific needs in Bidibidi
Highlights
3,838 people have fled to Uganda over the past two days, 2,025 on Wednesday and 1,813 on Thursday.
13,878 people have crossed in to Uganda in the last seven days, compared to 7,174 in the previous seven days.
More than four times as many people crossed in to Uganda using the Oraba (Koboko axis) border point than using the Elegu (Adjumani axis) border point, confirming Oraba as the main border crossing point in recent weeks. Compared to July, more new arrivals are fleeing from Central Equatoria and less are fleeing from Eastern Equatoria.
In response to the increased influx via the Oraba border point in Koboko district, the operation has deployed 17 buses and 11 trucks to the area in order to continue decongesting Oraba border and Kuluba collection point (located 7 km from the border). New arrivals are transported to Bidibidi settlement in Yumbe district. Efforts have also been stepped up to vaccinate all refugee children upon entry, to identify persons with specific needs at border and collection points, and to provide essential primary health care services at the collection point.
New arrivals in Adjumani are reporting that the security situation in Eastern Equatoria is deteriorating, particularly in Magwi, Pajok and Pageri. Activities by armed groups are said to on the rise, alongside lootings, kidnappings, sexual assaults and generalized violence.
In Arua, new arrivals have begun using informal crossing points in Busia and Angilli, in addition to Oraba. They report having been harassed by armed fighters, a breakdown in public services and increasing violence across Central Equatoria. Armed groups have reportedly increased the number of checkpoints on roads leading to Uganda, and are extorting those attempting to flee. This is promoting many to travel through the bush.
Following an assessment that found Kiryandango settlement to be full, and the decision that the settlement will no longer receive new refugee arrivals, the relocation of refugees started on 25 August 2016. Any new refugee arrival presenting themselves at Kiryandongo is being offered a transfer to Bibibidi settlement in Yumbe district and will not be settled in Kiryandongo. So far, around 565 refugees have been transferred by UNHCR and OPM and Bidibidi in two convoys, with the most recent one having taken place on 1 September 2016.
4,118 refugees were transported from Adjumani, Arua and Kiryandongo to Bidibidi settlement, bringing the total number relocated there to 36,197. Bidibidi has a potential capacity for 100,000 refugees.