Appeal Target: US$ 491,315
Total Pledges: US$ 411,795
Balance Requested: US$ 79,520
Geneva, 13, June 2016
Dear Colleagues,
South Sudan is facing violence since almost 16 months, steaming from a power struggle between the incumbent President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Dr. Riek Machar, which erupted on 15th December 2013 in Juba when Mr. Kiir accused Mr. Machar of staging a coup. Violence has since prevailed and is often breaking out along ethnical lines between Dinka and Nuer tribes. Besides the ongoing violence in the country, growing food insecurity further affects the people of South Sudan. Political negotiations to settle the conflict continued throughout the year 2014, following negotiations to cease hostilities in January 2015. Despite the signing of a peace agreement on the establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity in February 2015, each of the warring parties have since accused the other party of not adhering to clauses of the agreement, thus raising concerns if sustainable peace, security and stability will be achieved anytime soon. World leaders, UN Envoys, and Diplomats have added their voices on the needs to adopt durable solutions to end this crisis with demand for a total stop of violence and for sustainable peace. Riak Machar who was scheduled to return to Juba on 18th April 2016 to assume office as the first vice resident in the transitional unity government delayed is return for 8 days as his side and government side traded counteracssations of failture to adhere to the main clauses in peace agreement. But even if the political situation stabilized following his return, the humanitarian impact would still be felt throughout the year 2016. Because of this fragile political situation, Uganda continues to receive new South Sudanese refugees. The refugees are entering maily through Elegu entry point Adjumani. A total of 206,337 South Sudanese have sought refuge in Uganda, with 132,004 now registered in Adjumani district1, where the ACT Alliance member Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is concentrating its intervention. LWF has been focusing on the Adjumani district to offer humanitarian assistance to the refugees in the transit center and in the settlements during the 2014 and 2015 ACT appeal. As we continue to receive new refugees, all existing settlements in Adjumani have filled up prompting the UHNCR and OPM to open a new settlement in Latodo effective may 2016. As the signs of peace in South Sudan begin to materialise, as a sign ot hope that would allow the refugees to return home in the near future it is important to focus on linking relief and development (LRRD) by focusing on the promotion of sustainable livelihoods and self-reliance across all sectors of ntervention. Taking this into consideration, LWF will focus on offering relif services to new entrant that will be settled in Latodo and then continue its LRRD efforts in Boroli, Nyumanizi, Ayilo I, Baratuku through the provision of NonFood Items (NFIs), Livelihoods and psychosocial support, as well as peace and conflict resolution in 2016 through revision and extension of appeal UGA151, which is the second and herewith consecutive ACT appeal tackling the support of the South Sudanese refugee population in Uganda.