U.S. Aid Cuts Spark Deadly Food Clashes Among Refugees in Uganda

Massive cuts to U.S. humanitarian aid have plunged refugee settlements across Africa into crisis, triggering deadly violence over dwindling food supplies. In Uganda’s Kiryandongo camp, home to over 100,000 refugees, South Sudanese residents attacked Sudanese newcomers last month, killing a community leader and injuring nearly 100 people during four days of unrest. The clashes underscore the continent-wide fallout from Washington’s decision to slash foreign assistance, once the backbone of UN relief efforts.

Violence in Kiryandongo

Witnesses said machete- and stick-wielding raiders stormed shelters at dinnertime, stealing porridge and bread from families, including that of Sudanese widow Makkal Abdul Aziz, who was feeding her six children their only daily meal. Aziz’s hut was destroyed, forcing her family to seek shelter in a tent used as a mosque.

The violence erupted after camp authorities reassigned garden plots from South Sudanese residents to newly arrived Sudanese refugees, exacerbating long-standing tensions. Sixty-five-year-old Sudanese community leader Kabashi Idris Kafi was beaten to death while defending a communal kitchen.

Aid Cuts and Humanitarian Strain

Until earlier this year, the U.S. provided 60% of the UN World Food Program’s Uganda budget. Cuts have halted rations for one million refugees and are expected to leave the UN Refugee Agency with only $5 per month per person for basic supplies by next month — a third of the required amount.

Uganda hosts more refugees than any other African nation, with 1.9 million people spread across 13 settlements. In Malawi, rations have been halved since the aid cuts began. In Chad, home to 1.2 million Sudanese refugees, funding shortfalls approach $280 million.

Dominique Hyde, UNHCR spokeswoman, warned that without urgent funding, “more children will die of malnutrition, more girls will fall victim to sexual violence, and families will be left without shelter or protection.”

U.S. Response and Regional Impact

A U.S. State Department spokesman said $30 million in food aid was sent to Uganda in July but emphasized future assistance would be “short-term and targeted.” Washington has urged other nations to share the burden, arguing that America has “shouldered more than our share of the global humanitarian burden for too long.”

In Kiryandongo, Ugandan troops have imposed a curfew to prevent further clashes, but fears of renewed violence persist amid rumors of more Sudanese arrivals. “Refugees here are so nervous about sharing limited resources with new arrivals,” said South Sudanese leader Ronald Onen.