Government warns refugees against tribal sentiments

CONGOLESE   I   SOUTH SUDANESE

The State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Musa Ecweru, has warned refugees against tribal sentiments, saying they will be prosecuted in courts of law.

"Fueling tribal sentiments can lead to killings of innocent people in communities which later turns out to be an offence, according to the laws of Uganda," warned Ecweru.

"Whoever will be found guilty of fueling tribal sentiments in the refugee camps will not be repatriated but prosecuted in courts of law."

Ecweru also said Uganda's policy on refugee settlement programme is still going on, despite the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Ecweru explained that Uganda opened its borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo to allow in fleeing nationals seeking asylum due to the intensified tribal clashes.

He sounded the warning recently during a review of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), a multi-stakeholder co-ordination model on refugee matters focusing on humanitarian and development needs of both refugees and host communities at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala on Wednesday.

The CRRF's objective is to ease pressure on countries that host refugees, build self-reliance of refugees, foster conditions that enable refugee's voluntary repatriation among others.

Governments ministries, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), the hosting communities and international financial institutions attended the meeting.

Last month, a fight arose among the Dinkas, Pojulu and the Nuer tribes of South Sudanese origins in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement.

A child belonging to the Dinka tribe picked maize from the garden of the Nuer and thereafter a fight erupted.

The function was attended by Joel Boutroue, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resident Coordinator, Rosa Malango, Elsie Attafuah, the United Nations Development Programme's resident representative Uganda among others.

Attafuah praised Uganda for its open-door policy to refugees. She said refugees are allocated pieces of land to farm for livelihood and sustainability.

Joel Boutroue praised President Yoweri Museveni and the government for issuing proper guidelines for handling of coronavirus

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was particularly eloquent and detail-oriented, explaining what the virus was, how it was transmitted and who was at risk, before laying out a plan to systematically close schools, churches and borders, to begin social distancing, and to put a hold on weddings and funerals," Boutroue said.

State minister for local government Jenipher Namuyangu proposed that the local government should work with CRRF to help in the implementation and building existing systems and create new structures to improve Uganda's refugee response. 

"It is my humble opinion that a similar platform for local government engagement, especially for the refugee hosting districts should be taken into consideration prior to the quarterly steering group meeting, this will bring salient issues of Local governments through their representatives," said Namuyangu.

She said the growing refugee population is currently projected at over 1.4m, coupled with a protracted refugee situation and dwindling refugee responses is exerting a lot of pressure and challenges of hosting refugees. There is a lot to be done if Uganda ‘s refugees' model is to be sustained," she added.

 "Uganda   opened its borders for the first time to allow in the over 4,000 Congolese nationals who had been trapped in Zeu Forest at the border point of Gulajo in Zombo district," Ecweru added.

The Congolese, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children, were allowed into the country on humanitarian grounds after they stayed for months in the forest without access to relief food and other basic needs.

The groups were officially received by Hilary Onek, the Minister for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness at a place called Ayutepa, about 17km from the Congo border.