Uganda has received over 34,000 new refugees since January and the number is expected to shoot up in the coming months, according to the UN and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
According to a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and OPM, more than 16,000 of the 2019 arrivals are from South Sudan.
“Arrivals from South Sudan have increased in May by 14% from the previous month with a daily average of 194 arrivals. Violations of the ceasefire agreement by armed parties to the conflict in South Sudan have been reported by the Ceasefire Monitoring Body (CTSAMM) in Yei River State,” the statement said.
Should the violations continue, Uganda and the UN said, new arrivals from South Sudan may continue to increase in the weeks ahead.
In the face of deteriorating security situations in the eastern region of DR Congo and the Equatoria region of South Sudan, the statement said UNCHR and OPM, together with NGO partners are preparing to scale up services given the potential influx of 40,000 new arrivals at the reception and transit centers.
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and his former vice-president, Riek Machar, signed a new peace deal that called for the formation of a government of national unity on May 12.
However, the formation of the government was recently delayed by six months after the country’s two powerful men Kiir and Machar who have been fighting since 2013, agreed to an extension to deal with outstanding issues, such as the creation of a unified army.
Kiir has accused Machar, who lives in Khartoum, of continuing to recruit fighters during the ceasefire period. The two men are expected to assemble their separate forces for integration into a unified army