Uganda’s Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola|Photo Credit-Courtesy

Uganda’s Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola, has urged refugees to consider voluntary return to their countries of origin as humanitarian funding continues to decline.

In just the past year, the overall refugee population in Uganda has more than doubled – from 500,000 to more than 1.25 million –with majority of them from South Sudan.

The number makes the East African country the world’s fastest growing refugee emergency, according to the UN

Speaking to journalists in Kampala on Thursday after a regional workshop on refugees and internally displaced persons, Engola said Uganda is hosting more than two million refugees while operating with less than half of its required humanitarian budget.

“Funding is not there. There is no money, we are operating at a loss because there is no gain. We are just helping,” Engola said.

He said the funding shortfall is making it difficult for Uganda to plan as the number of refugees continues to increase annually.

“We can’t plan because it is the people who donate, we cannot force,” he added.

Engola said 17,458 Burundian refugees have registered for voluntary return to Burundi, even as Uganda continues to receive people fleeing conflicts elsewhere.

He said conflicts, political instability and climate-related crises continue to drive displacement into Uganda, placing pressure on public services, infrastructure, local governments and resources in host communities.

The minister called for longer-term approaches that support development, strengthen peace and help communities recover, while urging countries to develop practical plans for voluntary repatriation and sustainable return.

The workshop brought together government officials from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia to discuss sustainable return and peaceful coexistence in communities affected by displacement.