Written by Catherine Ntabadde Makumbi
The Government and humanitarian agencies are in a joint inter-agency rapid assessment of the South Sudan Population Movement. This was reached at during an inter-agency stakeholder coordination meeting chaired by the Office of Prime Minister.
The agencies to participate in the two day assessment that kicks off on Sunday (January 5) are Uganda Red Cross Society, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, FAO, LWF, HIJIRA, MTI, MSF, DRC, Inter-Aid among others.
The teams grouped into two will be coordinated by OPM. Team 1 is mapping out map out Elegu, Adjumani and Moyo while team 2 will cover Kiryandongo, Arua, Koboko and Rhino Camp.
The teams will return on 8th January for a debrief at the Prime Minister’s Office. The aim of the joint assessment is to ascertain the actual situation on ground, humanitarian needs and way forward to address the population movement from South Sudan.
Uganda Red Cross Society in its Saturday (4th Jan) disaster response emergency meeting chaired by Interim Secretary General Ken Odur at URCS headquarters resolved to deploy two senior staff for the assessment. URCS is already supporting government in border surveillance, restoration of family links (tracing) and identifying un-accompanied minors from South Sudan.
URCS has re-activated its Red Cross Action Teams in Gulu, Arua, Koboko, Yumbe and Moyo to provide support for the South Sudan operations There are 11, 924 South Sudanese refugees in Adjumani, over 4218 in Arua. UNHCR and OPM anticipate an influx of 30, 000 South Sudanese refugees.
In Koboko, URCS is running a mini water treatment plant that is serving water to Congolese refugees in Lobule Transit Camp. Hitherto, refugees would collect water from River Attu which is heavily contaminated. The URCS treatment plant which purifies water before it is consumed has the capacity to serve 5, 000 refugees in day. It comprises of a water pump, a tank, a tap stand, water purification filters. The Red Cross has provided jerrycans to the refugees to draw clean water.
Bubukwanga camp in Bundibugyo is currently hosting 2, 703 Congolese refugees. URCS which is managing the camp on behalf of UNHCR and Government deployed 60 volunteers to support the operations. In the camp, URCS is in charge of registration of new arrivals from the border points, psychosocial support, preparation and serving hot meals to the refugees, restoration of family links, sanitation and hygiene promotion, managing and storing food from WFP. Another 60 members of Red Cross Action Teams have been put on standby in Bundibugyo should the situation warrant more support.