Food Cuts Push South Sudanese Refugees to Risky Mines/Photo: Enocka Martin
(IMVEPI, UGANDA) – A South Sudanese refugee woman died and another was critically injured on Saturday, 19 July 2025, after a landslide at an illegal gold mining site inside the Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region.
According to eyewitness accounts, the two women were digging for gold nuggets when the surrounding soil suddenly collapsed. The victim, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was buried under the debris. Her companion survived but sustained serious injuries.
Local South Sudanese refugee leaders say the women, like many others in the settlement, had turned to dangerous and unauthorised mining to survive after major reductions in humanitarian food aid.
“These women are not criminals,” said a local community leader. “They are mothers and caretakers trying to feed their families after losing access to basic support.”
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) recently cut food rations across several refugee settlements in Uganda, including Imvepi. Refugees report that flawed beneficiary classifications have left thousands of vulnerable individuals without aid.
“This is not an isolated tragedy,” said Bosco, a South Sudanese refugee leader in the settlement. “Due to ration cuts and a broken verification system, many vulnerable refugees have been placed in Category 3 without proper review. People are suffering and some are now dying.”
The WFP’s beneficiary categorisation system is divided into three groups. Category 1 includes the most vulnerable refugees who receive full rations. Category 3, the least vulnerable, receive no food support. Community leaders argue that many deserving refugees have been wrongly placed in the latter group.
| Beneficiary Category | Ration Status |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | Full food rations |
| Category 2 | Half food rations |
| Category 3 | No food rations |
Human rights defender Victor Batali Silas condemned the conditions in which many South Sudanese refugees are forced to live, describing them as “unbearable”. He called on South Sudan’s political leadership to urgently implement the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement to allow refugees to return safely to their country.
“I want to call upon the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to recommit to implementing the permanent ceasefire, security arrangements, and transitional justice mechanisms,” Silas said.
He added: “It is time to end this suffering and build a South Sudan founded on justice, liberty and prosperity.”
Uganda currently hosts over one million South Sudanese refugees, most of whom fled during the 2016 conflict. Many are now struggling to survive in overcrowded camps with limited access to food, healthcare and livelihoods.
Discover more from Access Radio Yei News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
