Gisuru, Burundi | AFP | Nearly 600 Burundians who fled political violence in their home country to Tanzania were on Thursday repatriated voluntarily, the UN refugee agency and witnesses said. The move came after the Tanzanian government vowed that from October 1 it would start repatriating all Burundians, willing or …
Read More »CARITAS introduces solar cookstoves to refugees in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Catholic Relief Agency CARITAS has intervened in the energy crisis unfolding in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe district. Bidi Bidi is the second-largest settlement in the World, hosting more than 27,000 South Sudan refugees fleeing civil wars in their country. More than 80 …
Read More »S.Sudan holds breath as fragile peace faces crucial test
Udier, South Sudan | AFP | Chol Deng, her husband and five children sit, exhausted, under a tree, having journeyed back to South Sudan five years after fleeing their corpse-strewn hometown Malakal. Encouraged by a six-month lull in fighting as a peace deal holds for the first time since 2015, …
Read More »DR Congo violence drives 16,000 into Congo-Brazzaville: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Around 16,000 people have fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s neighbour after inter-communal clashes erupted last month in the southwest of the country, the UN said on Friday. Violence in Yumbi, in the DRC province of Mai-Ndombe, prompted an exodus to the neighbouring Republic …
Read More »27,000 Eritreans ‘seeking refugee status’ in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | More than 27,500 Eritreans have filed for refugee status in Ethiopia since the two countries reopened their joint border in September, according to EU documents seen by AFP on Friday. More than 24,000 people from northern Eritrea have applied for refugee status at Endabaguna, …
Read More »5.3 million people will have fled Venezuela by end of 2019: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The United Nations on Friday forecast that 5.3 million Venezuelans will have fled the country by the end of next year, an exodus that amounts to “a humanitarian earthquake”. The UN agencies for refugees (UNHCR) and migration (IOM) announced the estimates as they unveiled their …
Read More »Germany gives Shs 64 billion to refugee host communities
Kitty part of Shs 296 billion grant Germany will give to Uganda over the next two year Kampala, Uganda| RONALD MUSOKE | Refugee hosting communities in northern Uganda will benefit from some €15 million (Shs 64 billion) from Germany according to a new bilateral development cooperation agreement signed on Nov.16 …
Read More »HRW denounces Angola’s expulsion of 400,000 Congolese
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A global rights watchdog on Thursday called on Angola to halt mass deportations after more than 400,000 migrants mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled or were expelled from Angola in just weeks. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says migrants have been targeted in …
Read More »COMMENT: Uganda’s ‘model’ refugee policy
Why we need a more honest discussion on the Ugandan government’s portrayal as a global leader in refugee response COMMENT | LUCY HOVIL | Uganda has been hailed internationally for its generosity towards refugees. Since 2013, the country has welcomed close to a million refugees from South Sudan. Meanwhile in the …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Airtel connects Palabek refugee settlement
THIS WEEK: Airtel connects Palabek refugee settlement Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Uganda launched a network site to enable telecommunication services at Palabek Refugee Settlement in Lamwo District, northern Uganda. Airtel also held a two-day health camp in Palabek. The two events were aimed at promoting connectivity and improving …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price