Voice of Hope

The piece below has been taken from the Voice of Hope Newsletter of the Diocese of Kajo-Keji, You can download the newsletter here.

Owing to the most recent conflicts in Kajo-Keji County and the severe humanitarian and refugee crisis that have followed in January and February, at least 98% of the county’s population, including many Christians of the Anglican faith under the Diocese of Kajo-Keji, have been forced to flee to and settle in refugee camps, mostly in the Moyo and Yumbe districts of Northern Uganda. There they suffer from severe lack of food, water, shelter, disease, post conflict trauma, tribal animosity, and many other issues.

According to the officials of Moyo district, over 100,000 refugees have been registered and settled under the UNHCR from the central equatorial region of South Sudan. Between January 25th and February 1st, Moyo district received an average of 4500 refugees from Kajo-Keji every day, an overwhelming number, even for the implementing humanitarian agencies such as the UNHCR and Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

A recent report from Mercy Corps also states that South Sudan now has the world’s third largest refugee crisis after Syria and Afghanistan, and that while 2.1 million are displaced within the country, at least 3.6 million have fled their homes for refuge. The report also shows that 1 out of 3 South Sudanese have been displaced, and 6 out of 10 displaced South Sudanese are children. The most recent disaster now is the famine declared in the nation with 5.1 million South Sudanese in need of aid, and 4.8 million people facing severe hunger.