South Sudan refugee influx forces rethink of Uganda's policy

South Sudan refugee children share a meal at Uganda's newly opened Palabek Refugee Settlement in the northern part of the country, April 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

ADJUMANI, Uganda, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The influx of South Sudan refugees in Uganda is forcing the government here and international partners to re-think what has been called one of the world's most favorable refugee policies.

According to the policy, once one gains refugee status in Uganda, they are given a plot of land in a refugee settlement on which they can build their shelter and do crop farming. The refugees also have freedom of movement in the country and can seek employment.

In other countries, refugees are put in camps and are not allowed to move freely. They are totally taken care of by the government and relief agencies.

While Uganda's policy is seen as exemplary to the world, even to the European countries that are facing a refugee crisis, the influx of refugees into the country is forcing planners back to the table.

According to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Uganda hosts over 1.2 million refugees and of these more than 900,000 are from neighboring South Sudan. Others are from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Uganda now has the largest refugee settlement in the world. Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement hosts more than 270,000 South Sudan refugees.

According to relief agencies, an average of over 2,000 South Sudanese refugees continue to flock into the country every day.

Government officials and relief agencies now argue that the growing refugee population is imposing unbearable pressures on state and host communities with far reaching political, economic, social and developmental impacts.

Titus Jogo, the government official in charge of refugees in Adjumani told reporters recently that in some parts of West Nile (northwestern Uganda) the population of refugees has outnumbered that of the locals, citing Moyo district.

In Adjumani, Jogo said on average the number of the population of the refugees is equivalent to that of the locals.

Analysts argue that although land is still available, if the number of refugees continues to rise, there is likely to be an edgy relation between the refugees and the host communities.

Already there are concerns by the locals regarding the increasing food inflation, according to Idro Dominic Tako, Adjumani District Local Council Speaker.

Tako told Xinhua in a recent interview that the locals argue that because the refugees are given money to purchase food, the local traders have increased the prices of food stuff, making it expensive to the local population.

Uganda says although it was out of goodwill that it allowed the refugees into the country, it has been overwhelmed by the number. There is a lot of pressure on the provision of social services to both the locals and the refugees.

There is need for construction of more health facilities, schools, and roads among others.

These needs come amidst dwindling international financing of humanitarian activities in face of other equally competing priorities like fighting terrorism.

The shortage of funding has forced humanitarian agencies like the UN's World Food Program to cut rations given to refugees.

The food aid agency in a statement this week said that it is facing a funding shortfall of 60 million U.S. dollars for the next six months. The agency said the refugee operation currently costs it 17 million dollars a month and the amounts keep rising because of the increasing number of refugees.

"The government has a generous policy that receives refugees, settles them on their own plots of land, and allows them to work and thrive in Uganda. Without sufficient resources for WFP's life-saving food, this policy is threatened," the agency said.

It is these challenges that are forcing the Ugandan government and its development partners to the drawing table to avoid shattering the country's refugee policy.

The country and the UN have scheduled an international refugee conference dubbed 'Solidarity Summit' on June 22-23.

The meeting is aimed at raising over 8 billion dollars that would be used over the next four years to cater for the refugees in Uganda.

"Uganda is a beacon of hope and, if well supported, can become a model for how sustainable and inclusive investments in social services and developing human capital, among refugees and communities that host them, can help break the cycle of conflict and build peaceful communities both in host countries and in countries of origin," one of the pre-conference statements said.