Uganda has received some 16,195 new refugee arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo since January 2019, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday.
The East African country is now hosting 332,000 Congolese refugees and more than 1.2 million refugees in total.
UNHCR warned of an imminent influx of more refugees in the coming days due to the recent increase in armed attacks since 30 March in the DR Congo’s North Kivu.
The agency warned that these continuing arrivals will overstretch Uganda’s ability to host refugees.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns of an imminent break to food and cash pipelines, which compounded by a looming drought, could further aggravate the food insecurity of the refugees and their host communities.
The UNCHR called upon international donors to avail funds to help in the provision of aid for the refugees.
Uganda has in the past been praised widely for its refugee policies.
Last year, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, while on a visit to the East African country said: “Uganda has the most progressive refugee policies in Africa, if not the world.”
