Protection Under Pressure: Sudanese and South Sudanese Refugee Experiences in Kampala and Kiryandongo, Uganda July 2026

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Executive Summary

Background, Purpose, Locations and Method

Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, Uganda has received a rapidly growing number of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers, adding pressure to an already under-resourced refugee response. By June 2026, Uganda hosted more than 2 million refugees and asylum seekers,1 including approximately 1.06 million South Sudanese and 95,579 Sudanese. 2 The Sudanese caseload had increased more than fivefold since January 2024. 3 The effects of these arrivals have differed between urban self-settlement and formal settlement-based displacement. In Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, the concentration of new arrivals has strained reception capacity, humanitarian assistance and basic services. In Greater Kampala, where urban refugees are expected to pursue self-reliance, refugees face high living costs, dispersed services and barriers to livelihoods, registration and protection support. Wider funding shortfalls have further constrained the response. Against this backdrop, NRC conducted Community-Based Protection assessments with predominantly Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers in Greater Kampala and predominantly South Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo. The assessment examined protection risks, barriers to services and livelihoods, coping strategies, legal identity and registration, housing, shelter and HLP concerns, safety and wellbeing, unequal exposure to risk, and future intentions. The assessment used a qualitative approach based on 22 focus group discussions conducted in May and June 2026: 13 in Greater Kampala and nine in Kiryandongo. The findings reflect the experiences of assessed participants and should not be interpreted as representative of all refugees in Uganda, as estimates of prevalence, or as nationality-based vulnerability profiles.

Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/uganda/protection-under-pressure-sudanese-and-south-sudanese-refugee-experiences-kampala-and-kiryandongo-uganda-july-2026