ReliefWeb

Highlights

• The rate of new arrivals in to Uganda has increased, with a total of 27,930 South Sudanese refugees received in Uganda between the 1st of April and 15th of April, compared to 15,474 in the last two weeks of March. A daily average of 1,862 refugees crossed the border from South Sudan into Uganda.
• An attack by armed forces on the town of Pajok in South Sudan on the 3rd of April caused thousands of people to flee to safety in Uganda. By the end of the week, some 7,000 people had crossed the border into Lamwo district, including 3,200 on the day after the attack. Among them were some 600 unaccompanied minors and separated children.
• Many of those who fled Pajok reported witnessing family members killed or beaten in front of them. The elderly and disabled who could not run were reportedly shot dead, houses were burned and looted, and roads out of the town were blocked by armed groups.
• Roads near the border with Lamwo district are reportedly obstructed by armed groups, leading refugees to use uncharted routes and informal border crossings in order to reach safety in Uganda.
• On 12 April, Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR opened a new settlement at Palabek, in Lamwo district, with the capacity to accommodate 30,000 refugees. Establishment of basic services such as water, shelter and healthcare has been accelerated. So far, more than 5,000 refugees have been relocated from Ngomoromo border to this settlement.
• UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Khaled Hosseini visited Northern Uganda and met with refugees from South Sudan, as well as members of the Ugandan communities who host them.