Bidi Bidi Refugee settlement in Uganda. Credit | Courtesy

Some South Sudanese refugees in Uganda are reportedly sneaking back to South Sudan in search of extra food after the World Food Program cut their monthly food rations.

Last week, WFP announced that it will soon be forced to cut further food ration in the refugee camps unless urgent additional funding is received in time.

More than 2.7 million refugees in East Africa have already been affected by a reduction in food rations and cash transfers, as donors slashed funding due to the impact of coronavirus.

The latest cut was in April 2020 when food rations were reduced by 30 percent.

The countries affected include Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan and Djibouti.

Speaking to the Ugandan NTV at the weekend, the refugee desk officer in the Office of Prime Minister said the food shortages are forcing refugees to cross the border back to South Sudan in search of extra food.

Solomon Osakan identifies refugees in Bidi Bidi settlement of Yumbe district and other settlements in West Nile as the illegal returnees.

“We reduced food. So, some of them have their food in their gardens in South Sudan. They are sneaking there to get food,” Osakan confirmed.

According to Michael Nabugere, the Bidi Bidi camp commander, it is up to the refugees to risk sneaking into South Sudan.

He said: “The support they are getting here is not sufficient to sustain them and they have to vote with their feet to choose whether to starve or take a chance with a bullet.”

Each refugee reportedly gets about 17 kilograms of food items for two months.

Bidi Bidi refugee settlement hosts nearly 230,000 refugees mainly from South Sudan.