There is currently a massive influx of refugees from South Sudan into Uganda following the collapse of the Transitional Government of National Unity due the fighting that erupted on 7th July between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), government forces of President Salve Kiir, and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), loyal to the former first vice president Dr. Riek Machar. The July 7th 2016 crisis has continued to manifest the power struggle between Machar and Kiir on ethnic lines and has unsettled the already volatile young nation of South Sudan, as it led to the collapse of the April 2016 agreement (which successfully enabled the return of Riek Machar to Juba and the subsequent formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity). The recent clashes also led to the loss of about 300 lives and displacement of over 36,000 people internally, with about 110,000 people forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

ACT Uganda Forum has been responding through its members Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Finn Church Aid (FCA). Both organisations have been focussing on Adjumani, where all the refugee hosting settlements are full to capacity, so there is an eminent need to identify new sites or consider the expansion of existing ones. LWF has constructed an emergency shelter and distributed blankets among other relief items, but with new arrivals, the emergency response team is over-stretched. FCA is providing inclusive Education in Emergencies for South Sudanese refugees with focus on children with disabilities.

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