Joseph Kariuki and Raymond Baguma
13 July 2008
analysis
Kampala — NO one looks a fool; no one feels awkward so long as he is in his own place, so long as he is in his ancestral homeland," these words, by a famous Ethiopian folk singer, Yirga Dubale are echoed by almost every refugee.
A survey conducted by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants shows that by the end of 2007, the number of refugees in the world reached over 14 million, with Uganda hosting more than 200,000, mainly from Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan.
The 2008 World Refugee survey, titled, A race to the bottom, launched by the Refugee Law Project recently, paints a dark picture of how the refugees are treated worldwide.
In the survey, Uganda was hailed for significantly improving the treatment of refugees compared to her neighbours. The survey focused on four key indicators basing on the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees; physical protection of refugees, access to courts and detention, freedom of movement and residence and right to earn a living.
It showed Russia as the worst country for refugees, with Kenya, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand close on toe. The survey used grades to classify the country's performance, with A for best, B for better, C for average, D for worse and F for worst. Although Uganda is preferred by refugees and asylum-seekers compared to other East African countries, the survey showed a decline in the physical protection category with an F.
The country maintained a C in access to courts and right to earn a living and D in the freedom of movement and residence, a far cry from the score Benin, Brazil and
Gabon got with As in all the categories. Uganda is a host to 235,800 refugees, a number that is big for a country that has a GDP per capita of $900 (2007 est.).
Sudan contributes the highest number of refugees and asylum-seekers in Uganda - 162,100, while Congo- Kinshasa has 41,800, Rwanda 21,200, Somalia 5,700 and Burundi 3,100.
During the launch of the report, Paulina Wyrzykowski, a lawyer and research officer at the Refugee Law Project, said while there was still a lot of work to be done to improve the lives of refugees around the world, refugees in Uganda had done much of it.
However, urban refugees face the greatest challenge since they compete for opportunities with the nationals. Wyrzykowski said although the refugees in camps were given land for cultivation, most of it was unproductive.
For this reason, they run to urban centres. Despite the urban refugees facing a myriad of problems like language barrier, poverty, disease and insecurity, Wyrzykowski said, they are better off than their counter parts in camps.
At the meeting organised to equip the urban refugees with survival skills, the refugees blamed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for abandoning them. A Congolese refugee who introduced himself as Kasigwa, criticised the agency for abdicating its duty, leaving it to Interaid. Another refugee said it was hard for them to get antiretroviral drugs and medical care.
"We are HIV-positive, but it is difficult for us to get drugs. When we get them, we do not have food," said the HIV-positive refugee from Congo.
The refugees said when they go to UNHCR for help, they are sent to the Office of the Prime Minister, which sends them back to UNHCR. UNHCR spokesperson, Roberta Russo, said the body was not a key player in the resettlement of refugees, saying the responsibility lies with the Government.
Russo said it is hard for the cashtrapped organisation, with only eight protection officers, to protect 200,000 refugees in the country. The plight of the refugees was further highlighted by Annoriciate Nyahabineza, a mother of onemonth- old twins, who sleeps outside the Refugee Law Reform project offices with them. Nyahabineza braves the rain and sunshine with her twins as she awaits recognition by the Government and the UNHCR. The process takes six months.
Such cases have made Uganda fair poorly in the world ratings on refugee treatment though Russo says the country is progressing.
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