Uganda calls for more int'l support as refugee crisis escalates

Kampala, Oct 24 (IANS) Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called on the international community to increase logistical support for the East African country to address the escalating refugee crisis.

Museveni made the call on Wednesday during a meeting with visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi at the State House in Entebbe, about 40 km south of Kampala, the country's capital.

"The only problem we have is logistics, like the food and schools, because they bring in extra needs. You had built a school for 1,000 people, and now they are 4,000, so you must handle that effect," Museveni said, according to a State House statement issued here Thursday.

Museveni said Uganda has a favorable refugee policy that attracts refugees from neighbouring countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Actually, we don't have any problem with refugees; when they come, we give them security, and we don't also insist on putting them in the refugee camps. If they can move out and do business, it's okay ... This is part of our ideology," Museveni said.

According to the UN refugee agency, Uganda hosts more than 1.7 million refugees, mainly fleeing conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Uganda, which is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, receives about 10,000 new arrivals each month.

While visiting Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in the western Ugandan district of Kamwenge on Monday, the UNHCR chief said financing of the refugees has dwindled due to the increasing number of conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and the DRC, among others.

Grandi noted that, unfortunately, the crises are taking longer, forcing a transition from humanitarian funding to development assistance because refugees need to be empowered so that they can be self-reliant instead of depending on relief aid.

He said the persistence of these crises has had an impact on refugee-hosting countries, forcing them to improve social amenities like schools and health centers.

"My message to the international community (is to) help Uganda respond, help them strengthen their education and health systems, help them deal with the impact this huge mass of people has on the environment," Grandi said.

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