Prominent visitor to Rhino Camp

On 9 August, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel paid a visit to Rhino Camp in the Arua district of Northern Uganda, currently home to more than 200,000 mostly South Sudanese refugees. Malteser International provides clean drinking water for the refugees in the settlement, and also implements hygiene measures to reduce the spread of sickness.

Since July 2016 nearly a million South Sudanese have fled civil war and hunger, and sought refuge in Uganda. Uganda has however shown remarkable hospitality in welcoming the refugees. The government allocates land, building materials as well as farming tools to refugees to set up their own shelter, and grow their own food. This concept of self-help assistance aims at ensuring a self-reliant life for the refugees in the long term. But the country faces challenges of its own. Youth unemployment has been on the rise in recent years, and a drought ravaged parts of the country earlier this year. In order for Uganda to continue its exemplary engagement for South Sudanese refugees, the country needs urgent international support.

Foreign Minister Gabriel gained a first-hand impression of the situation on ground, and visited Malteser International's clean water project, which is also financed by the German Federal Foreign Office. In an interview, the Minister praised Uganda's refugee policy, and called for more support for the East African country. "We need to expand international aid to Uganda, and we also need to help bring an end to the civil war in South Sudan," he said.

After his visit to Rhino Camp, Foreign Minister Gabriel travels to the State House in Entebbe, where he will meet the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. After this meeting, his next stop will be Juba, South Sudan.

The Federal Foreign Office has also provided one million euros to upscale Malteser International’s ongoing aid projects for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda.

More Information on the project