Did the former UNHCR Representative in Uganda Undermine
the Government’s Refugee Policy?
Briefing on the Plight of Achol Pii Refugees and
Refugee Policy in Uganda
May 2003
Recommendations
Given the current crisis, and the serious action that has been taken by the government, we make the following recommendations:
- The GoU should reconsider its position on relocation to the specific location it has chosen.
- The GoU should encourage more districts in other parts of the country to accommodate the refugees. It is in the government's best economic, environmental and security interests to spread out the refugee population.
- The GoU should consider refugee protection a truly humanitarian ideal and, therefore, take into consideration the fears and concerns of the refugees, in light of their experience in Achol-Pii.
- The GoU should encourage refugees to voluntarily move to safer parts of the country, and not make their assistance dependent on staying within a settlement.
- Development partners and NGOs should join government in supporting social services that benefit both refugees and nationals, in order to encourage more districts to accommodate refugees.
- The GoU should come up with a workable refugee policy that incorporates strategic thinking about refugee protection in Uganda, in light of Uganda's socio-economic progress, unlike the current security-driven approach, which is narrow and leads to the kind of crisis currently taking place.