Office of the Prime Minister and Aid Agencies say they have contained ethnic conflicts in the camps hosting South Sudan refugees in West Nile region.
During the outbreak of the South Sudan conflicts in July 2016, hundreds of South Sudan nationals of different ethnicities fled into Uganda including Nuer, Dinka, Madi, Kuku and Acholi. However, there was tension between the Dinkas, which forms the bulk of the officials of the Juba regime and members of the other ethnic groups.
This forced the aid agencies to separate the Dinkas from the other groups to restore calm. Uganda Police also embarked on a community policing program among the refugees to create a conducive atmosphere for peaceful coexistence.
Fred Buzu, the Community Service Officer in the Officer of the Prime Minister, now says their efforts have paid off, saying all is calm in the camps. According to Buzu, the problems they encountered at the beginning are no more.
Buzu says they have taken keen interest in educating the refugees on the need for peaceful coexistence since they are in a foreign land.
He says they have also established certain activities to encourage the refugees to mingle freely.
He also says they took steps to address the root cause of the tension as providing additional resources for the refugees.
There are over 500,000 South Sudan refugees living in different camps within West Nile. At least more than 60 percent of the total population is made up of children.
