The government of Uganda on Thursday and Friday last week (22 June and 23 June) respectively, hosted a refugee solidarity summit that was aimed at raising $8 billion to help in catering for the high and daily raising number of refugees in the country.
The summit was held in Kampala, the country’s capital, and was attended by different government officials and international organizations.
During the summit, the international community on Friday pledged $358.2 million.
The raised money as per the initial motive is going to be used to support the refugees in Uganda, of which the largest number comes from South Sudan, the neighboring country, caused by the un ending conflict.
According to United Nations, the conflict in the young nation has displaced about two million of the South Sudan’s population, with 2000 fleeing to Uganda every day.
General Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary, who attended the summit in person, lauded the steps taken in support of the refugees.
“I witnessed what has been and is the biggest exodus from Africa since the Rwanda genocide,” said General Guterres.
“To have a starting figure of $358.2 million, plus the commitments of the World Bank and the African Development Bank, is a very good start,” he added.
Earlier in a conference with journalists on the 20 June, 2017, before he flew to Uganda for the summit, Guterres expressed his gratitude to the government of Uganda that welcomes refugees with open arms provide them with protection, plots, food, water, medication and education.
Guterres also talked about how sad it is when developed countries close their doors on the refugees and are not ready to help. In this case, he appealed to the developed countries to express solidarity with the refugees that flee from their countries.
“I appeal to the countries in the developed world, to express a much stronger solidarity to countries of first asylum to the global world,” he said.
The president of Uganda Yoweri Museveni while speaking at the summit thanked the donor community for showing solidarity with his country.
“These people have come to express solidarity with us, and it is $358.2 million for the start. If the international community assists us more to cope with this challenge, we shall manage as we have always done in the past,” President Museveni said addressing the summit.
Meanwhile, donors at the summit exerted pressure on the government of South Sudan to immediately put an end to the ongoing war and the worrying situation in the country that causes displacement of its people.
Reporter: Shamilah Namuddu
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