UAE sends 100 tons of aid for S. Sudanese refugees

By Halima Athumani

KAMPALA, Uganda

The United Nations reported Monday that the United Arab Emirates has pledged over $750,000 in aid for South Sudanese refugees sheltering in Ugandan camps.

According to a statement by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) the major aid delivery consisted of 100 tons of emergency relief items.

UNHCR’s acting representative to Uganda, Bornwell Kantande, was quoted as saying: "The people of South Sudan are suffering, as we’ve seen by the record numbers that have fled to Uganda and other neighboring countries in recent weeks."

Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, agreed to the shipment "after hearing of the untold suffering being faced by the South Sudanese people" since the outbreak of violence in Juba on July 8.

UNHCR Uganda spokesman Charlie Yaxley said the airlifted shipment included mosquito nets, sleeping mats, plastic sheeting, kitchen sets and solar lights. The shipment will be delivered to refugee settlement areas in Adjumani, Arua and Kiryandongo districts, as well as to those residing in the newly opened Bidibidi settlement in Yumbe.

The delivery comes just days after the number of South Sudanese people forced to seek safety in neighboring countries passed the one-million mark, including more than 185,000 people in the last 10 weeks alone.

Those arriving in Uganda are disproportionately young and female, with around 90 percent of new arrivals being women or children under the age of 18.

According to the UNHCR, current expectations predict that 110,000 more South Sudanese could flee to Uganda before the end of the year.