Renewed Attack on Thousands of Sudanese Refugees in Uganda

A new attack on the Kiryandengo refugee camp in the northern Ugandan town of Piale occurred on Saturday evening, killing a Sudanese refugee and wounding several others, including children. This represents a dangerous escalation of ethnic tensions within the settlement, which houses thousands of people fleeing conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan.

According to a statement issued by the Emergency Lawyers group, the camp has been subjected to a series of violent attacks over three consecutive days, beginning Thursday evening and targeting residential areas within the settlement known as Cluster L, Cluster C, and Cluster B.

These attacks resulted in the death of one refugee and the injury of 24 others, comprising four in critical condition, in addition to the injury of a boy and a girl, amid growing concerns about the deteriorating security situation within the camp.

The rights group explained that the attacks began at 7 p.m. on Thursday, followed by sporadic assaults later in the night. On Friday, a display of intimidation by a group of South Sudanese refugees paved the way for renewed violence on Saturday evening.

The rights group noted that the nature of the attacks demonstrates a pattern of organized targeting, which warrants an urgent investigation by Ugandan authorities.

BH/BH