Kampala, Uganda | The Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola, has promised to engage the Eritrean government to establish what is driving the growing number of Eritrean refugees seeking asylum in Uganda.
Engola is concerned that the number of refugees from Eritrea has risen to more than 74,000, despite the country appearing to be relatively stable and not experiencing an active armed or civil conflict.
The minister, who recently assumed the portfolio, made the remarks on Thursday morning during a meeting with staff from the Department of Refugees under the Office of the Prime Minister as part of his familiarization with his new docket in Kampala.
Engola, who is also the MP for Erute South, said the Government of Uganda wants answers from the Eritrean authorities on why thousands of their citizens continue to flee to Uganda in search of refuge.
He noted that many of the new arrivals are young people, making it important to understand the circumstances forcing them to leave their country.
The minister revealed that he has already raised the matter with a number of partners, who said Uganda should formally engage the Eritrean government to establish the underlying causes of the continued refugee influx.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister, Patrick Okello, said the refugee department is grappling with inadequate funding as the number of refugees entering the country continues to rise.
Okello explained that although the department required 32 billion to run its operations, it received only UGX 23 billion this financial year, making it increasingly difficult to provide essential services to refugees.
He added that the funding shortfall has also forced the department to reduce its workforce because it could no longer afford to pay some members of staff.
