Relocation of Sudanese refugees within Uganda proceeding calmly – UN agency

The last of more than 16,000 Sudanese refugees have been relocated from an overcrowded camp in western Uganda to new camps in the north of the country following violence that marred the beginning of the transfer last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today.

The refugees were transferred from Kiryandongo camp to two new sites in Uganda’s West Nile region. Those affected by the relocation camp are the remaining 16,000 refugees out of a group of more than 24,000 who were displaced from Achol-Pii refugee settlement in August last year following a series of vicious attacks by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The repeated attacks on Achol-Pii left dozens of refugees dead and large numbers injured. The displaced arrived in Kiryandongo, already home to another 13,000 Sudanese refugees, placing enormous pressure on the camp’s limited resources such as firewood, water, health and educational facilities.

The transfer of the refugees to other locations was unavoidable because of the little room for expansion in Kiryandongo, UNHCR said. An initial 8,000 of the Achol-Pii group were moved, without incident, to another site soon after their arrival.

The start of the current transfer on 1 September was blighted by violent clashes between Ugandan security personnel and stone-throwing refugee youths who were objecting to the location of their proposed new home.

Last Thursday, after the tense situation had calmed down, UNHCR officials received government authorization to enter the camp for the first time since the operation began.