WFP seeks sh83b for refugees

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KIRYANDONGO - With an influx of Sudanese coming into Uganda, the regional director of the World Food Program (WFP), Micheal Dunford, has said it will be very hard to maintain the one hundred percent food rations given to the refugees unless they get regular levels of funding.

Currently, WFP is seeking sh83b ($220m) to support the refugee operation in 2024 and WFP’s refugee operation is 49% resourced leaving a substantive funding gap.

“WFP is providing 100% food rations to the Sudanese refugees but unless we get regular levels, it will be difficult to maintain food rations, especially at a time when we expect more refugees to arrive in Uganda,” Dunford said during his visit to Kiryandongo refugee settlement on May 27, 2024.

Kiryandongo settlement harbours only refugees from both North and South Sudan.

Currently, Uganda has over 1.6 million refugees across various settlements and since 2024, over 18,000 Sudanese refugees displaced by the Sudan crisis have been settled within the settlement.

Dunford noted that the WFP, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other agencies agree with the Ugandan government that the international community must do more to support the constant hosting of refugees in Uganda.

Micheal Dunford, the regional director of World Food Program (WFP) interacts with some Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo. (All Photos by Simon Peter Tumwine)

“We have had good support but because of the increasing need, we need additional levels of contributions from the international community,” Dunford said.

He commended Uganda’s generosity in hosting the refugees from its neighbouring countries.

“Uganda is an extraordinarily generous host of refugees. It currently hosts over 1.6million refugees but we are now seeing an additional influx of Sudanese refugees coming from the North and the challenges are considerable,” Dunford said.

Dunford noted that one of the challenges they are facing is getting all the refugees registered and settled in with other refugees, adding that WFP offers one hundred percent food ratios to the new refugee entrants compared to those that have been in the settlements for some time.

He revealed that WFP is embarking on strategies to empower all refugees in the country so that they can meet their requirements through various livelihood activities.

Dunford said peace in Sudan is essential adding that as WFP, they need to see all the refugees go back to their home countries.

“These refugees do not want to be in Uganda but they want to go back to their home countries and this can only happen if we have a long-sustained peace,” Dunford said adding there is a need to increase the humanitarian access in Sudan so that WFP and other agencies can reach out to the population.

Refugees getting registered by WFP officials.

One of the Sudanese who preferred secrecy commended Uganda for its refugee policy and WFP for its tremendous work but revealed that they are only given one type of food week after week adding that this has caused malnutrition in their children.

“We have been given only one type of food since arrived here. Most of us do not have money to purchase anything from the markets and even buy better drugs for ourselves when we get sick,” she said adding that since they arrived at the camp, some of them have been in the camp for more than six months and have never been resettled.

She appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister and the UN agencies to equip the settlement with a specialized doctor and improve and change the type of food being given to them.

Efforts to get in touch with the camp commandant were all in vain.

Background on funding

Over the past 10 years, WFP purchased 850,000metric tonnes of food from Uganda, worthy sh1.25trillion($330m).

Since the beginning of 2024, over 50,000 newly arrived refugees have been registered in Uganda.