The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Introverted, nationalistic donor policies are worsening the neglect of people in crisis and displacement-report
COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country, and continues to serve as the region’s pressure valve, absorbing the fallout from multiple neighbouring displacement crises.
However, its ongoing struggle to fend for close to 1.8 million refugees has made the east African country feature among the world’s top ten most neglected displacement crises, according to the latest report published by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The report published on June 3 mentions Cameroon as the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, followed by Ethiopia, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras, and Somalia.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, despite Uganda’s progressive refugee policy which among other benefits, offers refugees freedom of movement, the right to work, and access to services – the sheer scale of displacement and chronic underfunding has placed immense strain on both refugee and host communities. And as pressure continues to mount, the valve itself has shown signs of buckling under the weight of prolonged neglect, the report reads in part.
Last year saw Uganda receive new arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, and beyond. The refugee population swelled to 1.8 million, with most of the new arrivals living in settlements and some in urban centres including Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
Food insecurity
Almost 800,000 people faced acute food insecurity, as food assistance was cut to just US$3 per person per month, a figure expected to decline further to US$2 in 2025. With refugee numbers expected to surpass two million by the end of 2025, the situation is fast approaching breaking point.
Reception centres have buckled under the strain of new arrivals, operating at over 500% of their intended capacity. For instance, Kiryandongo settlement in central Uganda alone saw more than 8,000 new arrivals in 2024. At certain border crossing points, malnutrition rates among children under five soared to between 18 and 22%.
Aid cuts also triggered a rise in negative coping strategies and tensions between refugees and the communities that host them. Despite the escalating crisis, the refugee response plan was only 46% funded, making it one of UNHCR’s most underfunded operations globally, a trend that is likely to continue this year.
With little visibility, donor fatigue and dwindling global attention, Uganda’s exemplary refugee model is increasingly under threat. Without renewed international support, the peaceful coexistence between displaced populations and their hosts may become unsustainable in 2025 and beyond.
Criteria to determine neglected crises
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council report, the annual list of neglected displacement crises is based on three criteria: lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention, and a lack of effective political engagement to end conflict and improve conditions for displaced people.
This year Cameroon tops the charts for neglected crises and is followed by Ethiopia in second place while Mozambique which is featuring for the first time is ranked third. Burkina Faso, which topped the list for the previous two years, is fourth on the list.
The Democratic Republic of Congo features eighth after ranking in the top three since this report’s inception.The report notes that these shifts do not reflect meaningful improvements but instead they highlight a harsh reality: nearly all protracted humanitarian crises are now being neglected.
For context, Cameroon ranked second in 2023, seventh in 2022, third in 2021, second in 2020 and topped the list in 2019 and 2018. Ethiopia last featured on the list in 2021 when it ranked tenth. Burkina Faso has appeared on this list for the previous six years. It ranked first in 2023 and 2022, seconf in 2021, seventh in 2020, and third in 2019. The Democratic Republic of Congo topped the list three times (2021, 2020 and 2017). It ranked second on the list in 2022, 2019, 2018 and 2016. It ranked third in 2023. Mozambique appears on this list for the first time, this year.
Displacement and crises around the world
Each year, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) publishes a list of the ten most neglected displacement crises in the world. The purpose is to focus on the plight of people whose suffering rarely makes international headlines, who receive no or inadequate assistance, and who rarely become the centre of attention for international diplomacy efforts.
The neglected displacement crises list for 2024 analyses 34 displacement crises based on three criteria: lack of funding, lack of media attention, and lack of effective international political and diplomatic initiatives.
The NRC notes that its methodology is based on an analysis of three key characteristics of such situations and associated metrics, including; funding coverage or the degree to which humanitarian needs are met is measured by the amount of money raised for each crisis as a percentage of the amount required by the UN-led humanitarian appeal, for both internal displacement and refugee crises.
It also looks at attention the media tries to give a particular crisis. According to NRC, the level of media attention is measured by the potential reach of online articles mentioning specific countries and displacement-related terms for a given crisis. This figure is relative to the number of people displaced by that crisis.
Finally, NRC also considers attempts to look at the amount of political will or the level of political engagement and attention of the international community towards a particular crisis, and the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of that engagement. This includes political processes or diplomatic efforts to find solutions, international or regional engagement, and the ability to ensure an adequate humanitarian response.
Funding gap widening
“International solidarity is being overtaken by increasingly introverted and nationalistic policies in previously generous donor nations. This is deepening the neglect of people affected by crisis and displacement at a time when a record number of people have been forced from their homes,” said Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of NRC.
“Across Europe, the United States and elsewhere we have seen donors turn their backs on people in their hour of need. It is critical that we do not accept donors’ abandonment of aid as a foregone conclusion. Displacement isn’t a distant crisis: it’s a shared responsibility. We must stand up and demand a reversal of brutal aid cuts which are costing more lives by the day.”
The shortfall between what was required to meet humanitarian needs in 2024 and what was delivered was a staggering US$ 25 billion, meaning over half of all needs went unmet. This figure is large but also roughly 1% of what the world spent on defence during the same year.
The 2024 humanitarian response plan for Cameroon was 45% funded with US$ 168.2 million of the US$ 371 million required. This means that the funding gap was US$ 202.8million, according to data published in March this year by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). According to OCHA, US$ 24.2 billion in funding was received globally against a total of US$ 49.5 billion in requirements. This left a global funding gap of US$ 25.3 billion (51.1%).
In contrast, the total military spending for 2024 was US$ 2.46 trillion – equal to US$ 6.74 billion per day. With the global humanitarian funding gap at US$ 25.29 billion, this is equal to 3.7 days, or 1.03%, of global miliary spending in 2024 according to the International Institute for Security Studies (IISS).
“Adequate funding is essential. But funding alone cannot halt the suffering. Without effective conflict resolution, disaster prevention and diplomatic engagement, these protracted crises will go on and on. More people will be displaced, and more lives will be shattered,” said Egeland.
Neglected in media coverage too
Cameroon has repeatedly featured high on this list and continues to grapple with three distinct and protracted crises that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The report notes that Cameroon’s crisis is a case study in global neglect: little diplomacy, underfunded and under-reported. The displacement crisis in the country has been seldomly mentioned in most media outlets around the world, leaving the realities for displaced and conflict-affected people invisible to many.
For context, whereas the displacement crisis in Cameroon was mentioned in 28,800 articles in English, Spanish, French and Arabic in 2024, this is 15 times fewer than the crisis in Ukraine which was mentioned in 451,000 articles, according to findings by Meltwater, a media, social and consumer intelligence consultancy.
The degree of media attention, measured by the potential media reach of online articles related to a displacement crisis, is considered an important proxy indicator for the level of public awareness and engagement about a humanitarian crisis. Meltwater’s media monitoring platform is used to analyse online articles about displacement crises on the longlist. English, French, Spanish and Arabic coverage is analysed.
According to NRC, if all displacement crises were considered equally, and thus none were neglected, the expected media attention would be proportional to the size of the displacement crisis. However, in reality, this is not the case, and so is limited potential support received to the displaced population.
“Life is very difficult at times, with very little farming and working in our small businesses to try and find enough to eat. We worry about the future of our children. They need to go to school. We have been forgotten here in Cameroon and it’s very difficult for us to even think about the future of our families,” Djeinabou, 32, a refugee from the Central African Republic living in Cameroon told NRC researchers.
Future looking bleaker
Ironically, this latest report comes at a time when several major donor countries have announced major cuts to their official development assistance. In January, the United States (US) suspended ongoing aid projects to conduct a foreign assistance review, forcing the majority of US-funded humanitarian work to be put on hold or, eventually, to cease.
In February, the United Kingdom announced it would be cutting Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income In the same month, the Dutch government also announced a €2.4 billion cut in development aid from 2027. The French government announced it would reduce public development assistance by more than € 2 billion – close to 40% of its annual funding. Swiss, Swedish, German and Belgian governments have also announced cuts in aid assistance budgets.
“The world cannot plead ignorance when it comes to overlooking crises that feature in this report. Each year we warn that things will get worse, and each year that warning becomes a reality. This year, I fear that more than ever,” said Egeland.
“With aid budgets being slashed, it is down to each and every one of us to stand up and tell global, regional and national politicians to change course, that we will not stand by and let those forced to flee be left behind. What we do this year will be remembered.”
