According to the 1951 Convention, a refugee is “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
In the past decade, the global refugee population has more than doubled. At the end of 2020, there were 82.4 million forcibly displaced people in the world (UNHCR,2020). Today, almost 1.5 million refugees live in Uganda, making it the top refugee-hosting country in Africa and one of the top five hosting countries in the world.
There are currently 11 settlement camps, among them is Bidi Bidi, the second largest camp in the world, hosting about 270,000 refugees, Kyangwali in western Uganda, a home to 125,039 people, Rhino with 123,243 registered refugees, to mention but a few. As a member of the United Nations (UN) and the international community Uganda agreed to follow universally accepted rules.
The 1951 Convention also outlines how refugees shall be treated at least like other non-nationals in relation to rights to work, housing and education in their host countries. Uganda generously hosts refugees mostly from the neighboring countries, Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi, mostly living in refugee settlements in different parts of the country. Just as the Taliban entered Kabul, the country welcomed the first batch of Afghan refugees. With its long history of hosting refugees, it did not come as a surprise but reignited debate about the country’s refugee policy and, with it, discussions on the extent to which the “Ugandan model” can be implemented in other countries around the world.
The willingness to host hundreds of thousands of refugees is perceived to be a symbol of integrity. On one hand, it’s a burden that imposes unbearable weight on already vulnerable population. The Uganda’s open-door policy has challenged wealthier states that responsibility should not be just theoretical but implemented in reality especially where migrants are at their borders. However, some nations have even resorted to using a “gangster-style approach” to a long running migrant crisis. The recent incident at the Belarusian-polish border where migrants have been living in harsh conditions and the responses to the refugee crises has been highly criticized as catastrophic.
A refugee crisis is foremost a humanitarian crisis which is guided by values and norms. Liberal refugee approach is the most exemplary by far for promoting refugee integration rather than confinement. The 2006 Uganda’s Refugees Act and 2010 Refugees Regulations entitle refugees, freedom of movement (subject to limited restrictions), employment rights and equal access to services such as healthcare and education. Refugees can vote and stand for office at the local level. Some property rights are guaranteed, can own movable property, such as cars and machinery. They are granted a plot of land to cultivate in gazetted settlements, able to lease other land and start businesses which heavily contradicts with other nations where refugees who have been granted asylum cannot work without paying costly fees for short-term work permits.
The Ugandan public officials have maintained the obligation of right to seek asylum and non refoulement contrary to other neighboring countries, like the incident in Tanzania where Burundian refugees were forced to return home.
During the International Solidarity Summit tour around the camps in West Nile in June 2017, Antonio Guterres the UN Secretary General remarked “… It is important to underline that Uganda, in the past, received these South Sudanese refugees and I had the opportunity when visiting the same area that I visited yesterday, to see that they were not in camps but in so-called settlements that are in reality villages, like villages of the Ugandan people. This allows them to farm the land, allows them to go to the same schools, the same health centers, to have jobs, to allow them to have normal lives, to live in dignity.”
Even though this liberal approach has been applauded by different institutions as one of the most generous anywhere, it has had some setbacks most especially in refugee hosting communities which are vulnerable with underlying poverty. There has been an increasing burden on hosting areas due to influx of refugees, protocols have not clearly defined how to protect resources, competition for the already scarce ones like, health services, water, education has escalated the unending violence in most refugee camps.
These areas suffer from massive environmental degradation due to increased deforestation, soil erosions, depletion and pollution of water resources, which impacts lives of refugees in number of ways further increasing their difficulties. They usually demand firewood at a rate that the environment cannot replenish causing often the women and children to search increasingly further away, putting them at increased risk of violent attacks, cases of death over firewood collection have hindered good relations and put a strain on refugee integration process. This situation has always got less attention than it actually needs, the policies should actively include environmental sustainability into refugee programs like use energy saving stoves, this could improve these relations between local populations and refugees.
Increased sex for basic needs like food, scandals among refugee camps is a concern. poverty has forced many to engage in sex work, since food rations are sometimes not enough for a family’s survival, some sex workers are single mothers who lost their husbands during war and conflicts in their countries. They experience severe health and safety risks including exposure to HIV (Women’s Refugee Commission, 2016). Sexual abuse and exploitation of women and girls by members of the humanitarian staff in exchange for food is very unethical from the same people supposed to protect them. Sexual violence has sparked mental health issues with in the refugee’s communities. They usually witness violence in their home countries, transit, as well as host communities.
Even though, income generating activities have been put in place to alleviate women’s vulnerability in these camps, charity officers undergoing mandatory child safe guarding training, little has changed. There is an urgent need for minimum policies, protocols and programming to safeguard the basic rights of refugees.
Even though the policy of the Government of Uganda allows refugees to self-settle in places of their choosing in urban areas, some urban refugees like, Somalis, Eritreans, Congolese, Burundians, South Sudanese have remained marginalized even ignored in policy discussions.
They face social and economic barriers, challenges of accessing assistance, the absence of a large formal employment market has left many relying on networks and informal jobs, with this competitive economy, refugees fail to secure income that meets basic costs of living hence opting for informal settlements with unreliable access to water and sanitation such as katwe and kisenyi. These issues need joint coordination and support by the government and humanitarian agencies through providing temporary forms of assistance such as start-up capital and loan to assist their transition into work.
In order for the “Ugandan model” to reach its potential, host communities and local leaders’ voices should be heard amidst policy discussions that usually exclude them since most are held in Kampala and Geneva. They should be consulted in more meaningful ways on the increased conflicts in their areas. Refugee policies shouldn’t just be theoretical but actively implemented like Urban refugees being supported beyond the legal status.
The open-door policy has always been a challenging one, with the international community not delivering on its promises of significant financial support. The Ugandan Government and the UN hosted the Solidarity summit on Refugees in June 2017 in an effort to mobilize support, managing to raise 358 million dollars of the 2 billion dollars it was aiming for which is not enough with the increased number of refugees in the country. With these dynamic contemporary unpredictable challenges like infectious diseases, climate crisis, poverty and vulnerability will continue to negatively impact refugees.
The burden of hosting refugees is phenomenal and without concerted international effort, the strain on countries like Uganda socially, economically and politically is significant. Addressing the root causes of migration is an important step that all states and other actors must consider. As nations push forward for the 2030 UN agenda, not for anyone to be left behind, refugees need more support than ever.
By
Atuhairwe Evelyne
