UNHCR requests for more land in Uganda to host South Sudanese refugees

By Our Reporter

30^th Aug 2022

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-UNHCR is requesting more land in Lamwo district to host refugees from South Sudan.

In 2017, locals in Palabek Gem and Ogili Sub counties offered a 50 square-mile chunk of land to host refugees fleeing war in South Sudan. The land was initially meant to accommodate 40,000 refugees.

However, the Office of the Prime Minister-OPM, requested more land after the population target was adjusted when the number of refugees hit 60,000 in November 2021.

During the celebration of World Refugee Day at the settlement camp in June, Felicitas Nebril, the head of the UNHCR sub-office in Lamwo and Adjumani said that the population of refugees had hit 67,000, constituting 37 percent of the total refugee population in the country.

A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-UNHCR indicates that Lokung reception center in Lamwo district has a capacity of 560 refugees, but between January and August 4 2022, it had 7,678 new arrivals, and 4,047 settled refugees.

Overall, the report shows that from March-August this year, 8,112 refugees have entered into Lamwo district and need space for settlement.