ARUA CITY LEADERS DEMAND REVIEW OF NATIONAL URBAN REFUGEE POLICY

Arua City Leaders with officials from DPP and its partners and Uganda Police Force during regional DPP Community Barraza on GBV, Land Conflicts and refugee protection (Photo by Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

Arua City leaders are advocating for a review of Uganda’s National Refugee Policy to officially recognize and allocate resources for self-settled urban refugees outside Kampala. Currently, the policy only acknowledges refugees in Kampala, which has led to increased pressure on social services such as water, health, and education in Arua and other towns.

Leaders emphasize that the presence of urban refugees heightens competition over limited resources, risking conflict between refugees and local residents.

His Worship Malone Avutia, Mayor of Ayivu Division, highlights that schools are overwhelmed with refugees and locals alike, stretching resources thin.

“What remains critical is that the law has not recognized urbans refugees across the country apart from the ones in capital city Kampala, as a result the host and refugee population all put pressure on the small resources we have and the social services we have which remains the biggest challenge we have in the city” he said.

Data from Oli Health Center IV and Arua Regional Referral Hospital show that at least 5% of daily outpatient visits are refugees.

Similarly, His Worship Lawrence Alionzi, Mayor of Arua City, urges the government to reconsider policy frameworks to recognize refugees in secondary cities, not just Kampala.

“The challenge is that our national refugee policy does not recognize refugees outside Kampala and the first step towards refugee protection could be to amend the national refugee policy to recognize the self-settled and urban refugees outside Kampala in order to include them in our planning, urban centers like Arua City can be able to deal with extra pressure on social services shared with refugees at the level of planning,” he said.

Most refugees settle in urban centers because of better social amenities. Statistics reveal that in the West Nile region, 55.1% of refugees originate from South Sudan, 30.9% from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with women constituting 78% of the refugee populace. The demographic breakdown shows 3% are over 65, over 25% are youth aged 15-24, and 55% are under 18. The large proportion of young refugees underscores the urgency of addressing their needs.

Hon Lady Justice Harriet Grace Magala, the resident judge of Arua High Court, acknowledged the challenges and called on host communities to coexist peacefully with refugees. She also urged the government to plan strategically for self-settled urban refugees.

“Its true refugees enjoy their rights here and we as well protect them, we treat them well without discrimination, they are having the benefits of the same services the nationals are having they are enjoying every benefits, I will be an Oliver twist and ask that they should be planned and provided for by the government” she said.

While authorities like the Office of the Prime Minister are aware of refugees’ presence in towns and cities beyond Kampala, they continue to promote partnerships with implementing agencies, advocating for a policy overhaul that may take considerable time.

Arua City hosts approximately 25,000 self-settled refugees from neighboring countries such as South Sudan and DRC. The West Nile sub-region, which includes Arua, Koboko, and Yumbe, has the highest refugee populations.

International initiatives, notably EU-backed urban projects, are temporarily filling infrastructure gaps in schools and public services. However, leaders stress that lasting relief depends on formal legal reforms at the national level.

A 2022 survey by Cities Alliance and AVSI Foundation indicates that over 10,000 refugees are located in Arua’s Central Division alone.

The overarching goal remains sustainable solutions through legal recognition and policy restructuring to better support refugees and host communities alike.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis