At least a dozen refugees were injured—some critically—when fighting erupted late Thursday between Sudanese and South Sudanese residents of Cluster L inside Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, eyewitnesses told local media.
The confrontation, described as “violent and chaotic,” involved clubs, machetes and other traditional weapons, leaving the camp in what one witness called “complete security collapse.”
Human-rights lawyer Arbab Abukeif issued an urgent appeal, urging Ugandan authorities and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to declare a “state of maximum emergency” and launch an independent probe. “The violence threatens hundreds of lives and violates the core purpose of asylum—protection from conflict,” he said, citing the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Tensions remained high on Friday as camp leaders and police attempted to restore order. Ugandan officials had not yet released an official casualty count or details of any arrests.
