How Kyangwali is coping with the refugee trauma crisis

________________

Trauma among refugees at the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kyangwali subcounty, Kikuube district, has reached crisis levels.

This is according to settlement administrators and development partners, who continue to appeal for support amid financial setbacks that have undermined Uganda’s internationally praised refugee response.

“The most affected persons are women and children who, among other abuses, suffered grave sexual violence at the hands of rebel militias, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” a senior authority at the camp said.

Men have not been spared either. Ucalker Mawa, 61, from Irilinga Zone in Ituri, who arrived at the settlement early this year, said he experienced deep depression and insomnia as he constantly thought about his wife and children abducted by the Kodeco rebels.

“It happened in 2024. I searched for them for two months but found no trace. That’s when I decided to flee to Uganda via Lake Albert, landing at Ssebagoro. Even after reaching Uganda, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about my missing family and all the property I left behind,” Mawa said.

He added, “One day, TPO (Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation) staff visited and encouraged us not to dwell on the past. I enrolled in a 10-week training programme and have since healed. I no longer have those tormenting thoughts.”

TPO is part of a consortium working with settlement authorities to tackle trauma and other mental health challenges among the refugees.

More than 96% of the refugees at the Bunyoro-based facility are from the DRC, a country devastated by decades of militia insurgencies.

Thousands of lives have been lost and countless civilians displaced, with Uganda serving as a key safe haven.

According to Tophious Chali, the settlement commandant under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the 124-square-mile camp currently hosts 147,316 refugees across 43,720 households. Congolese nationals make up 96.6% of this population.

Other nationalities hosted include Rwandans, Burundians, Somalis, Sudanese, and South Sudanese.

Chali added that the number of Congolese refugees entering Uganda has surged since March. By early April, over 4,000 refugees had entered the country via the Ssebagoro landing site on Lake Albert.

She attributed the influx to renewed Kodeco rebel activity in Djugu and Mahagi territories in Ituri.

“Around March 4, we had a major influx, with between 400 and 900 refugees arriving daily. Although the number has now reduced, we still receive about 55–65 refugees per day. From March to date, we’ve received 1,500 households comprising 3,902 individuals,” said Edidah Ninsiima, assistant protection officer at the Kyangwali refugee reception centre.

Marie Nzuri (not her real name) is among those still grappling with the long-lasting impact of sexual violence by Mai Mai rebels in Rutchuru in 2014 and 2015.

Nzuri said she suffered psychological, social, and physical trauma after being raped twice—once while seven months pregnant—in front of her husband, who was tied to an avocado tree.

“The baby died in my womb. I lost consciousness and woke up at Rwankuba Health Centre, where I had been operated on to remove the foetus. It shattered me,” she said.

Nzuri, who still cannot walk properly due to injuries from the assault, said her 15-year-old daughter was also raped, compounding the trauma.

In April 2015, the rebels struck again. This time, she was abducted and taken to a rebel camp where their commander repeatedly raped her.

“On the way to the camp, three rebels raped me. I screamed, but no one came. When we reached the commander, he raped me repeatedly until I passed out. After they left to look for food, I crawled away and eventually made it home,” she recounted.

That incident was the last straw. Her husband insisted they leave their home in search of safety. With their two children, the family relocated to Bunagana near the Uganda border, where a Good Samaritan helped them get to Kampala.

“Life in Kampala was hard. We had no food or shelter. But the Catholic and Adventist churches supported us with food and temporary housing. Due to our refugee status, we were advised to relocate to a refugee settlement,” Nzuri said.

Church support enabled their relocation to Kyangwali, where they were registered and provided food and shelter. It was then that Nzuri discovered she was pregnant again—this time not by her husband, as they had not been intimate since the second rape.

“My heart told me to abort, but my moral upbringing wouldn’t allow it. My husband rejected me. I considered suicide. Thanks to TPO’s mental health support, I am still alive today,” she said.

TPO Uganda, supported by the European Union under the Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO-STEP) project, has rehabilitated about 60,000 people, according to project coordinator Lydia Nalukwago.

The project promotes psychosocial wellbeing and mental health care while strengthening emergency response mechanisms.

Nzuri said her husband later returned after his new partner stole from him and left him sick. Initially, she rejected and refused to care for him, but TPO counselling helped them both recognise the effects of stress and depression. They have since reconciled.

“Thanks to TPO’s support, we have healed and rebuilt our marriage,” she said.

Uganda’s open-door refugee policy has earned global praise, and the country currently hosts over 1.8 million asylum seekers.

However, the refugee response is under immense pressure. Funding has sharply declined, worsened by the recent suspension of USAID support under the Trump administration.

Foreign donors have notified the Ugandan government of plans to withdraw support within three months, affecting not only food rations—which have been cut by 60% at Kyangwali—but also basic services across all settlements, according to government and UNHCR officials.

Another refugee, identified only as Esteri, said she suffered sexual violence at the hands of Kodeco rebels and witnessed the slaughter of four women and one man.

“After I arrived here, I developed an illness resembling epilepsy. The good news is that after trauma counselling, I healed completely and now actively participate in camp life,” she said.

Pirango Ngamba, another refugee, lost both parents in the Hema–Lendu clashes, which deeply affected his mental health.

Umarl Lwanga, a psychiatric officer with TPO, said that significant support is needed to tackle mental health challenges in refugee camps, which have in some cases led to fatal outcomes including suicide.

“While some cases require medical treatment, others simply need counselling to help the individuals regain stability,” he said.

Kikuube District LC5 chairperson, Peter Banura, commended government and development partners for their efforts in supporting the wellbeing of refugees.

“As government, we strive to ensure they are safe and are properly supported, in line with national policies,” Banura said.