The impact of refugees on the security and development of Uganda

Abstract

This research examined the impact of refugees on the security and development of Uganda as the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. With nearly one million seven hundred thousand refugees, most of them are from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi and Somalia. For a number of reasons, refugees are talked about in relation to problems of security and development, not only as the products of conflict and conditions of insecurity, but also as sources of conflict and threats to nationals in Uganda. Understanding the impact of hosting refugees is crucial in crafting responses that minimise the costs and risks assumed by host countries such as Uganda. Using documentary analysis, this study used Chambers theory on the Hidden Losers from 1986 to understand the coexistence between the refugees and the host communities in Uganda. The findings show that there are both positive and negative impacts on the host community due to the refugee influx. There have been positive strides in economic and social development in the remote and resource scarce areas in Uganda as more services like healthcare and education are being shared by host communities and refugees. Besides, refugees coming from armed conflict neighbouring areas that makes screening difficult, host communities have also conflicted with refugees over sharing limited resources such as firewood, food and water.