Map of Boroli One and Two in Uganda's Adjumani District|Courtesy of UNHRC

The refugee desk officer in Ugadan’s Adjumani District said over twenty houses have been torched down following a misunderstanding between two South Sudanese refugee communities.

Last week, scores of refugees were spotted in a viral footage fleeing Boroli Refugee settlement in what people referred to as conflict between the refugees and their host communities

Titus Jogo, the refugees’ desk officer in the office of the prime minister for West Nile region told Eye Radio that the refugees instigated violence among themselves during cultural activities.

Jogo said the cultural function organized by other communities in the refugees’ camp presumably demanded human sacrifice.

He said the function coincided with the loss of a woman who went collecting firewood and could her footpath could not be traced to the settlement.

This however caused uproar among the suspicious community. The officer said in this scuffle, over twenty houses belonging to Peri Community in the refugees’ settlement have been torched in this incident which caused them to flee.

“The misunderstanding came from the Madi community of South Sudan that whenever they have such function (initiation) they sacrifice human being and it was by coincidence that a woman went for fetch fire, who had some mental breakdown, but I think she failed to trace the way back.

So, when she didn’t turn up, the Madi community who are the majority in that settlement, took it that that a reality, so this woman must have been sacrificed.”

He however said they resolved the issues and reconciled the communities.

Jogo however said, the mastermind to the scuffle have been apprehended and will be investigated.

“The chairman RWC 1 for Boroli Two, who is a Madi mobilized his colleagues to go into the bush where they suspected this woman to have gone for firewood  to look for her, and fortunately the got her very alive.

“Then, he called a meeting to condemn those who did not go and it happened that majority of the Peri Community did not go and he ordered caning them.”

The refugee welfare officer condemns the recent surge of conflict among the community of Boroli which he said has been the most peaceful community since their entry into the settlement.