Achol-Pii Refugee Settlement

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Achol-Pii Refugee Settlement
Acholi-Pii
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Achol-Pii Refugee Settlement
Coordinates: 2°39′31″N33°07′29″E / 2.65865°N 33.12469°E / 2.65865; 33.12469
CountryFlag of Uganda.svg Uganda
District Agago

The Achol-Pii Refugee Settlement was a major refugee and internally displaced person camp in present-day Agago District in Uganda. Located in what was formerly Pader District, it was one of the earliest and largest refugee camps in Uganda, serving as a critical shelter for displaced populations across several decades. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The settlement was established in the early 1960s to accommodate refugees fleeing various conflicts in the region. Initially, Congolese refugees fleeing the Congo Crisis were settled in Achol-Pii during the 1960s. The camp continued to serve as a haven for displaced populations throughout the following decades. The settlement gained renewed significance in 1993 during an upsurge in fighting in southern Sudan between different Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) factions. [3] By early 2002, approximately 24,000 Sudanese refugees were housed in the settlement. [3] [1]

The 1996 LRA attack

The settlement faced a devastating attack on 13th and 14th July 1996 when the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) struck the camp, killing over 100 unarmed refugees and wounding several others over two days. [4] [5] [6]

This tragic incident highlighted the vulnerability of refugee populations in northern Uganda during the height of the LRA insurgency. Following the attack, survivors made passionate appeals to the Ugandan government to relocate them to safer areas in the southern parts of the country. [5] [4] [2]

In August 2000, the Lord's Resistance Army murdered six Sudanese and abducted three others in two separate raids on the camp. [7] The LRA attacked again in August 2002, killing over 60 refugees and kidnapping four employees of the International Rescue Committee. This attack, cited as the LRA's worst on any IDP camp, led to the closure of Achol-Pii and the transfer of its population to more secure locations west of the Nile River, including Kirgyandongo and Kyangwali. [2] In 2002, Achol-Pii underwent relocation efforts, with a phased movement of Sudanese refugees to other settlements, such as Kiryandongo and Kyangwali, as part of a broader initiative by the UNHCR, and in 2003, more than 16,000 Sudanese refugees were relocated. [8]

Relocation and closure

Following the 1996 attack and continued security threats, the UNHCR finalized plans to relocate approximately 24,000 Sudanese refugees from Achol-Pii to a new permanent camp in western Uganda. [9] The new arrivals were initially moved to Kiryandongo for temporary accommodation before being permanently transferred to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement approximately 100 kilometers west of Kiryandongo. [10] The Ugandan government assured that the Sudanese refugees would be safer in Kyangwali, located near the shores of Lake Albert, away from the conflict zones that had plagued northern Uganda. [10]

See also

List of Refugee settlements in Uganda

References

  1. 1 2 Verdirame, Guglielmo; Harrell-Bond, Barbara; Lomo, Zachary; Garry, Hannah; Sachs, Albie (2005). Rights in Exile: Janus-Faced Humanitarianism (1 ed.). Berghahn Books. ISBN   978-1-57181-526-2. JSTOR   j.ctt1x76fpq.
  2. 1 2 3 "Abducted and Abused : Renewed War in Northern Uganda". Human Rights Watch. 15 July 2003.
  3. 1 2 "Sudanese refugees in northern Uganda: from one conflict to the next". Forced Migration Review. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 "WAR AS NORMAL:THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON THE LIVES OF DISPLACED COMMUNITIES IN PADER DISTRICT, NORTHERN UGANDA" (PDF). Refugee Law Project. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Achol-Pii Background". Refugee Law Project. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. "Achol Pii LRA Massacre1996 06 04 | NMPDC". www.nmpdc-kitgum.org. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  7. "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  8. "Relocation of Sudanese refugees within Uganda proceeding calmly – UN agency | UN News". news.un.org. 9 September 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  9. "Uganda: Achol-Pii Refugee Relocation in Progress". allAfrica. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Northern Uganda: Aftermath of LRA attacks on refugee camp". ReliefWeb. 23 August 2002. Retrieved 3 July 2025.