Kisoro District has hosted a delegation from South Sudan at the Nyakabande Transit Centre to discuss refugee-related concerns in the region.
The seven-member delegation, led by John Dominic Dabi, the Deputy Commissioner for Refugee Affairs in South Sudan, visited to learn from Uganda’s experience in handling refugee emergencies and managing humanitarian efforts.
This visit comes in response to the increasing number of asylum seekers arriving in South Sudan from Sudan, where ongoing conflict and instability have persisted since 2023.
Currently, South Sudan hosts over 56,000 refugees from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Uganda, recognised globally for its exemplary refugee management practices, inspired South Sudanese officials to seek guidance. The delegation was particularly interested in Uganda’s systems for registration, screening, organisation, and provision of basic services like food and shelter in its transit centres.
Dominic Dabi noted that despite funding challenges—partly due to stricter policies by the United States that have affected support for refugee organisations in Uganda—Uganda continues to successfully manage large numbers of refugees, something South Sudan greatly admires.
“We have greatly been affected by the USA freeze, where most of the humanitarian agencies still have challenges of finance. We want to appreciate Uganda for the continuous support given to refugees, and as South Sudan, we surely admire this,” Dabi noted.
Rodger Gnepa, Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sub-Office in Mbarara and overseer of the Nyakabande Transit Centre, confirmed that Uganda continues to respond to the refugee influx from the DRC. However, he acknowledged the challenges, especially limited resources and reduced international funding due to new U.S. administrative policies.
“As a country, we continue to provide support to our brothers and sisters from DRC,” Gnepa said.
Assimwe Darglous, Assistant Commissioner from the Office of the Prime Minister, revealed that Uganda has received over 63,000 refugees since January 2025. Of these, Nyakabande Transit Centre alone has received more than 27,000 refugees from the DRC, driven by escalating violence in the country’s eastern provinces.
Darglous added that on Tuesday alone, Kisoro received 2,000 new refugees from the DRC. To manage the numbers, ongoing transfers to other transit centres are being conducted to make room for new arrivals. Currently, Kisoro is receiving an average of 400 to 700 refugees daily.
The conflict in the DRC’s eastern provinces has driven a significant number of refugees to seek asylum in Uganda, with nearly 100,000 refugee arrivals in Uganda facing a silent emergency and enormous needs.