The Prime Minister of Uganda Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has called for peaceful resolution in war torn countries so that citizens to settle and engage in meaningful development of their lives and their countries.
Rugunda was speakiing at the launch of development response to displacement impact project (DRDIP) in Kamwenge district where he Commissioned Combined outpatient department (OPD), maternity with a latrine, placenta pit, supply, delivery, and installation of a lightening protection 10,000ltr capacity stainless steel rain water harvesting tank and solar power unit in Kyarugaju HC II.
Dating way back to the 1950s, the premier said Uganda has been hosting. At end of June 2018, statistics indicts that Uganda is hosting 1.45 million refugees, the largest refugee population hosted in Africa and 3rd largest in the world.
“We shall assure asylum space for refugees in Uganda and at the same time we are protecting national and community interests, I call upon whoever is involved in conflicts that is destabilizing our regional to stop these embarrassing and costly conflicts, We are all losers whether directly involved in the conflicts or not,” he said.
He noted that the office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is striving to ensure that hosting of refugees becomes a blessing not a burden to the country generally and the host communities in particular.
“I would like to extend government appreciation to host communities and the district leadership for all the support rendered in ensuring that refugees are hosted in a peaceful environment,” said the prime minister.
He pointed out that the above attributes to Uganda regarding hospitality, refugees have come at a cost to country’s environment, infrastructure deterioration and social economic pressure on host communities.
Government and majority of Humanitarian actors for a long time concentrated on humanitarian service delivery to refugees and very little was done for host communities, he said infrastructural development in terms of roads, and schools must be addressed for service delivery.