South Sudanese Refugees In Uganda Yearn To Return Home And Vote

Since their government announced plans to begin voter registration in June last month, many Sudanese are eager to return home and vote in December.

If all goes well, 18-year-old Noel Amba will vote for the first time. He arrived at the camp as a child in 2016, during the height of the civil war.

“If I don’t go vote for the president I want, it will set us back. Remember that as refugees in Uganda, we do not receive the full range of support that we require. That is why I feel it is critical to return home and vote. “If the right leader comes, all services will be provided equally,” says South Sudanese Noel Amba.

According to Africanews correspondent Raziah Athman, the settlement houses more than 198,000 South Sudanese refugees. “Since 2016, when Bidibidi was established, many of the refugees have grown into adults who can vote, but the asylum law prohibits them from participating in both local and national politics in both countries,” Athman stated.

Last year, the South Sudanese government, Uganda, and UNHCR conducted democracy education in the settlement, but it was not necessarily intended to prepare refugees for political participation.

Nabugere Joel, the commandant of the BidiBidi refugee settlement, stated that there had been some understanding and conditions for the refugees.