Skip to main content

Uganda: 2019 Mid Year Report - Burundi Regional RRP (January - June 2019)

Countries
Uganda
+ 1 more
Sources
UNHCR
Publication date
Origin
View original

41,322 BURUNDIAN REFUGEES HOSTED IN UGANDA (30 JUNE 2019)

US$ 29.7 M REQUIRED IN UGANDA IN 2019

29 PARTNERS APPEALING FOR RRP FUNDS IN UGANDA IN 2019

SITUATION OVERVIEW

In 2019, the Office of the Prime Minister - Department of Refugees (OPM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly launched the revised Uganda 2019-2020 Refugee Response Plan (RRP), aligning RRP targets and financial requirements with a reduced refugee population planning figure. This plan also includes sector strategies and budgets to address the needs of Burundian refugees.

In the first six months of 2019, some 2,221 new refugees from Burundi sought safety in Uganda, citing threats and abuses by members of the Imbonerakure militia, killings and enforced disappearances of family members as well as gang rape, torture and illegal detention as reasons for fleeing their country.

With ongoing influxes from neighbouring countries, the refugee population in Uganda continued to grow, with 1,293,582 individuals biometrically registered as refugees and asylum-seekers as of 30 June 2019.

Among them were 41,322 refugees from Burundi. Nearly 79 per cent reside in Uganda’s western settlement of Nakivale, with smaller numbers in Kampala (10 per cent), Kyaka II settlement (7 per cent), and Oruchinga settlement (4 per cent). No Burundian refugees have expressed an intention to return home.

Since the government revoked the prima facie status for Burundian asylum seekers in May 2017, the Refugee Eligibility Committee (REC), an inter-ministerial body, has been conducting Refugee Status Determination (RSD) interviews. Processing delays created a backlog of RSD cases, with 1,278 Burundians awaiting RSD interviews as of 30 June 2019.

In line with the 2006 Refugee Act, Burundian refugees benefit from access to documentation and national services, freedom of movement, and right to work and establish businesses.

In the settlements, Burundian refugees received monthly food rations, household items and access to multi-sectorial services. They are allocated a plot of land for housing and farming. In urban areas, the most vulnerable receive targeted assistance from partners.

In March 2019, UNHCR, WFP and REACH in coordination with RRP partners began an inter-agency Vulnerability and Essential Needs Assessment (VENA) in 11 refugee-hosting districts and 30 refugee settlements to better understand the vulnerabilities of the refugee populations, including Burundians. The findings of the VENA, due for conclusion before the end of 2019, will help improve and inform targeting systems for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

In coordination with Sector Working Groups and partners, in April 2019 UNHCR deployed ActivityInfo, an online platform designed to monitor the performance of the RRP through quarterly progress updates.