NAN-F-46
Refugees
Kampala, May 9, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Ugandan Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, on Tuesday in Kampala, said the country expected the number of South Sudanese refugees to soar to 1.2 million by the end of the year.
The prime minister said “Uganda is already hosting more than 800,000 refugees from neighbouring countries, and 400,000 more are expected to arrive this year.”
He added that in addition to the 800,000 South Sudanese, Uganda currently hosts about 400,000 refugees from Somalia, Burundi, Congo, Kenya and Rwanda.
Rugunda said “the numbers are placing a huge strain on our already stressed ability to cater for the food, water, sanitation, health and education needs of the refugees and the host communities.”
The East African country will host an international summit on refugees in June, the premier said and appealed to donors to fund Uganda’s refugee programme, expected to gulp eight billion dollars over the next four years.
South Sudan was plunged into military conflict when a split between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar escalated in December 2013.
Tens of thousands have been killed and 3.5 million were displaced. (dpa/NAN)
OYE/HA
=======
Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu