Sudanese refugees flee to Uganda

By Richard Drasimaku     
    
Dozens of Sudanese women and children fleeing renewed ethnic clashes in the troubled Jonglei State have arrived in Uganda after a week of trekking.

Sixty three of the asylum seekers from fourteen Dinka families were registered at the regional refugee desk office in Arua on Wednesday.

“They told us to expect more people to arrive,” David Wangwe, the deputy refugee desk officer said.

He said the women informed them that inter -tribal fighting between the Dinka Buor and Morlei, the two largest ethnicities in Jonglei had intensified since January.

Jonglei is a tribal hotbed where the rival communities have a historical cattle rustling grudge.

The latest influx was triggered by an attack on a Dinka village at Jube in Abieyi region a week ago.

“All the cattle were raided and several people killed,” the women were quoted as saying.

They reported that some of their husbands who attempted to resist were killed in the assault while the survivors remained behind to pursue and try to recapture their cattle.

The women first moved with their children to Juba but due to unfavorable conditions they trekked through Nimule to Moyo and finally ended at Imvepi refugee camp.

From there, they were brought to Arua for registration and taken for resettlement at the Rhino Camp refugee camp as their files were forwarded to Kampala for verification.

Wangwe disclosed that the office of the prime minister is finalizing plans to close Imvepi camp, one of the two remaining refugee settlements in West Nile and relocate all refugees to Rhino Camp.

There are about 3,000 refugees in both camps few of whom are willing to return home.

“Majority of them are unwilling to return home due to political and other reasons,” he noted.

Wangwe said two repatriation exercises are planned for this year after which the government and the United Nations high commission for refugees will have to decide on whether to resettle those with residual cases in a third country or naturalize their citizenship so that they can continue to live in Uganda on their own.