Uganda to establish new refugee settlement in Kitgum
The Government also pledged to accelerate emergency relief interventions in the Karamoja sub-region, where prolonged dry spells and other climate-related shocks have left thousands of people facing severe food insecurity.
The announcement was made on Thursday following a high-level meeting at the Office of Prime Minister in Kampala between the Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola (2ndL) , and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission, Sanusi Tejan Savage (C).
KITGUM - The Government has announced plans to establish a new refugee settlement in Kitgum district as part of efforts to ease congestion in existing settlements and improve services for refugees and host communities.
The Government also pledged to accelerate emergency relief interventions in the Karamoja sub-region, where prolonged dry spells and other climate-related shocks have left thousands of people facing severe food insecurity.
The announcements made on Thursday followed a high-level meeting at the Office of Prime Minister in Kampala between the Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission, Sanusi Tejan Savage.
The two leaders discussed the challenges of worsening climate-induced food insecurity in Karamoja and the growing pressure on Uganda's refugee response system, which hosts one of Africa's largest refugee populations.
"We cannot afford a reactive approach when lives are on the line," said Engola, calling for the rapid and coordinated delivery of food, clean water and therapeutic nutrition before anticipated El Niño rains disrupt access to affected areas.
To support the response, IOM said it will activate its National Coordination Mechanism on Migration to improve coordination, strengthen logistics and pre-position emergency relief supplies in vulnerable areas before they become inaccessible due to severe weather.
Thursday's meeting also focused on the increasing pressure on Uganda's refugee settlements following a rise in new arrivals from countries, including Eritrea.
The planned Kitgum refugee settlement is expected to help decongest existing camps while providing refugee families with land for farming to promote self-reliance.
The Government said the settlement will also include investments in water, health and education infrastructure that will benefit both refugees and surrounding host communities.
Savage said the partnership between IOM and Uganda will prioritise long-term climate resilience and evidence-based planning alongside humanitarian assistance.
"The goal is simple: to save lives today while ensuring these communities are strong enough to withstand the climate shocks of tomorrow," he said.
Engola and Savage also appealed to development partners and donors to provide sustained and flexible funding to strengthen humanitarian assistance for both refugees and vulnerable Ugandan communities affected by climate-related disasters.