Refugee Rations Halved in Uganda Amid South Sudan Crisis
The World Food Programme (WFP) has cut monthly food rations in half in refugee camps in Uganda after funding fell short and amid a stream of refugees from South Sudan.
WFP says it needs $109 million to provide rations until October but has received only $49 million so far. In the meantime, rations have been cut from 26lb (12kg) of maize a month to 13lb (6kg).
The problem is compounded by rising food prices amid a regional drought. Some refugees in Uganda have resorted to stealing from locals, creating tensions and raising fears of clashes, Reuters reported.
“These people will go to steal food from nationals and it can cause fights,” Robert Baryamwesiga, camp commandant for Uganda’s massive Bidi Bidi camp, told Reuters. Some refugees told the news agency they were considering returning to conflict-torn South Sudan to look for food.
Uganda is sheltering more than 1 million refugees, most of them from neighboring South Sudan.
G7 Meet in Sicily Without Addressing Refugees
The U.S. and U.K. scuppered an Italian plan for a statement on refugees and migrants at the Group of Seven summit in Sicily.
Italy had urged leaders of the powerful G7 nations to endorse a “G7 Vision on Human Mobility,” including the need for safe, legal routes for refugees. But the Trump administration and the British government, which faces elections next week, rejected the proposal.
Instead, in the final communique the nations said they “recognize the need to support refugees as close to their home countries as possible” and “reaffirm the sovereign rights of states, individually and collectively, to control their own borders.”
Niger’s leader Mahamadou Issoufou, addressing the summit, urged the leaders to invest in development in Africa, fulfill their aid promises and take urgent steps to “put out the Libyan cauldron.”
Aid groups called the summit a missed opportunity. “Even though this summit took place in Sicily, a stone’s throw from where so many migrants have died, it produced no concrete steps to protect vulnerable migrants or to address the root causes of displacement and migration,” said Oxfam’s Roberto Barbieri.
U.S. to Admit More Refugees After Steep Drop-Off
The U.S. State Department removed weekly quotas on refugee resettlement in the U.S. that saw the number of refugees sharply decline under the Trump administration.
The quotas were imposed following Congress’ temporary spending measure last year. The latest bill passed last month did not include any budget restrictions for refugee resettlement.
Refugee resettlement groups said they could soon increase resettlement from around 830 people per week to more than 1,500, the New York Times reported.
While President Donald Trump capped the number of refugee admissions at 50,000, with his executive order still going through the courts, refugee support organizations now say they could help resettle more than 70,000 people this year.
Some agencies cautioned that Trump’s proposed budget for 2018, if passed, would see a drastic reduction in refugee resettlement and that U.S. security screenings for refugees also appear to have slowed down.
Recommended Reads:
- Foreign Affairs: Amman’s Refugee Waiting Game
- VICE: New Neighbors: Young Refugees From Across Europe Guest Edit VICE.com
- Narratively: These African Refugees Hoped to Build New Lives in Israel. Instead They’re Stuck in Endless Legal Limbo
- The Press Association: Unilever Chief Says Bid to Employ Refugees in U.K. Hit Brick Wall
- Reuters: Surgeons in Lebanon Offer Hope to Wounded Syrian Refugees