By Ignatius Bahizi – East Africa Editor, The African Gazette When Covid-19 hit the world, it was probably the developing countries especially in Africa that felt the greatest effects on their economies. Africa is no stranger to disasters, both natural and man-made. The Great Lakes region of Africa in particular has had a fair share of the disasters, such as protracted bloody wars and pandemics like Ebola, Malaria, and Cholera.
However, the man-made disasters in the form of civil wars have so far had the most disastrous effects on the continent and as a result, millions have been displaced internally and beyond borders.
Effect of the pandemic and lockdown on the refugees
It is these displaced persons that are now bearing the worst of the implications of the Covid-19 outbreak. International support through the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) has dwindled due to the stress the pandemic has put on the economies of countries in Europe that have always provided a bigger part of the funding for refugees.
Before the pandemic struck, many refugees in Uganda had started receiving cash aid equivalent to about $10 per person from aid agencies, instead of the food rations they normally were given every month. This amount was reduced by half when the Covid-19 pandemic came. Aid from international organizations is normally supplemented by food that refugees grow on the pieces of land provided by the Uganda government to each refugee family. Uganda is acclaimed for being the only country in the world that provides refugees with land for farming.
When the first Covid-19 victim was identified in Uganda in March last year, the government immediately announced a total lockdown, which crippled all activities in the country. The government offered food aid to the vulnerable who survive on daily earnings. Last month, President Museveni announced a similar lock-down to last for 42 days following the second wave of the pandemic that has proved to be more lethal than the first one. This time around, the government has decided to give about $30 to each vulnerable Ugandan to see them through this tough period, but refugees seem to have been forgotten.
In Kampala, a Burundian refugee who preferred to remain anonymous told The African Gazette that some of his colleagues are dying of hunger because they can’t go out to work as people are not allowed to leave their homes. The refugee also alleges that some others have contracted Covid-19 and died because they couldn’t afford medical bills.
What is the UNHCR doing to alleviate the miserable conditions of Ugandan refugees?
The UNHCR says that they have started a rapid assessment of the social-economic impact of the pandemic on urban refugees and also have been allocating funds to support the refugees. Wendy Kasujja – the UNHCR spokesperson in Uganda says that the urban refugee policy requires that the refugees who opt to stay in urban centers should be self-reliant.
Since the refugees can’t afford to be self-reliant during these hard times, according to Kasujja, government has requested UNHCR and WFP to provide the refugees with one-off cash assistance.
Conclusion
Uganda is home to over one million and four hundred thousand refugees from over ten countries including neighboring South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Eritrea among others. Uganda is also the second-largest refugee-hosting country in the world today after Turkey and the largest on the African continent, according to UNHCR.
The 42 days’ lockdown is about to come to an end. It is not yet clear if it will be extended; it also remains to be seen whether timely and adequate cash assistance would come in from the authorities to offer respite to the millions of refugees from the pangs of starvation.
Ignatius Bahizi – Currently East Africa Editor of The African Gazette, he is a journalist of repute and an analyst of geopolitics and security of the Great lakes region of Africa. Ignatius has worked in the region for over ten years with different local and international media houses.
The post A Survival Story of the Ugandan Refugees during the Pandemic first appeared on The African Gazette.