Government Says There’s Enough Land For Refugees

Government has given assurance that it has enough land in Yumbe district to accommodate more refugees.

Earlier reports suggested that the available land in the district could only accommodate around 40,000 refugees.

While meeting officials of Office of the prime minister and the implementing partners at Bidibidi reception centre, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Eng. Hilary Onek said they have vast land to settle more refugees than the previously planned figure.

The Refugee Desk Officer for Arua Solomon Osakan estimates that about 800-900 refugees are received daily at Bidibidi reception centre and the current number settled is over 8000.

This comes a day after the United Nations High Commission for Refugees expressed worry over the growing refugee population yet funds to meet basic needs are becoming exhausted.

In a statement issued on Monday, the UN Refugee agency says there are 930,000 refugees in the region and more are arriving daily.

It thus appeals to the international community to support countries of asylum to protect and assist South Sudanese refugees.

It added that with refugees fleeing South Sudan in their thousands, surrounding countries are straining under the weight of large numbers of displaced people and critically underfunded operations.

 

Written by Reporter