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by Ronald Ssekandi
ADJUMANI, Uganda, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Over three years of gun fire and now famine is pushing South Sudanese to the edge leaving them with no option but to flee their motherland.
At several refugee reception centers in northern Uganda, thousands of South Sudanese queue to be registered as refugees.
According to the UN refugee agency, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an average of about 4,000 South Sudanese cross the border into Uganda seeking refuge.
"If famine continues, we should expect more people to come. More and more people are reporting that famine is one of the reasons they are leaving," Ajit Fernando, Deputy Representative UNHCR Uganda told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.
At least here, according to humanitarian agencies, the refugees are assured of a regular meal as compared to back home where they were left to eating leaves in order to survive.
The UN last week announced that famine had broken out in South Sudan, warning that war and a collapsing economy have left some 100,000 people facing starvation and a further 1 million people are classified as being on the brink of famine.
According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, many families have exhausted every means they have to survive. Many people who are predominantly farmers have lost their livestock, even their farming tools.
According to relief agencies, this situation is the worst hunger catastrophe since fighting erupted more than three years ago between rival forces - the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) loyal to President Salva Kiir and the SPLA in Opposition backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar.
Escaping the hunger pangs and fleeing to Uganda can only be a temporary measure. Humanitarian agencies in Uganda argue that their resources are stretched to the limit and are just struggling to fend for the swelling number of refugees in the country.
The country, according to UN figures, hosts over 1 million refugees mostly from neighboring South Sudan where fighting has persisted since late 2013.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) says while it is able to provide food and nutrition assistance to any number of refugees, there must be the necessary funding.
"Right now we have a funding shortfall of 60 million dollars through July, and needs have been rising quickly - we now require around 14 million dollars per month to meet the food needs of refugees in Uganda, which is double the monthly requirement of six months ago," Lydia Wamala, Public Information Officer WFP Uganda told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Because of the funding shortages, since August last year, the food aid agency reduced the size of food rations for refugees who arrived in the country before mid-2015, a reduction that affects about 200,000 people.
"So far we have managed to avoid needing to make further cuts since then, but just barely, and we cannot rule out having to make additional reductions unless we receive significant new funding," Wamala said.
The refugees are now at the mercy of the international community to come to their rescue. Recent appeals to the community have not yet yielded the desired results.
Last year humanitarian agencies and Uganda appealed for 1 billion U.S. dollars to enable them cater for the rising number of refuges. However since then, only 36 percent of the required money has been raised and yet the need is rising day by day.
Fernando argues that as funds for catering for the refugees are being sought, there should be patience noting that there is a massive refugee crisis in the world.
"We will not be able to do everything overnight but it is gradual. What we want to do is not lose what we have gained," he said.
The European Union (EU) on Thursday announced an additional 10 million euros to help address the refugee crisis in Uganda. The money which is channeled through a project European Union Trust Fund will be used to improve the livelihood of the refugees in the long run.
The three-year project had already received 10 million euros.
"Uganda is not alone. Uganda can continue counting on the EU's support to such a challenging endeavor," Michelle Labeeu, an official at the EU office here, said. Enditem
