Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States will continue to assist Ugandas efforts to build peace and security within the region by supporting the African Union Mission in Somalia and helping to address the ongoing threat posed by the Lords Resistance Army.
As Uganda celebrates the 54th Independence anniversary, the United States government has lauded the country for its dedication to the well-being and empowerment of refugees seeking safety within her borders.
On behalf of President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry commends the Uganda government for providing aid and hospitality to "these vulnerable populations.”
“My government strongly supports your aspiration for further economic and social development and respect for human rights,” the statement further reads.
Kerry says the United States will continue to assist Uganda's efforts to build peace and security within the region by supporting the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and helping to address the ongoing threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Uganda forms the bulk of the 10-year-old Amisom force fighting the Al Shabaab militants in Somalia.
Recently, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR released a report which revealed that the number of refugees and asylum-seekers has reached more than half a million for the first time in Uganda's history.
More than 600,000 South Sudan refugees are now in Uganda according to UNHCR.
Uganda has now become the 8th-largest refugee hosting country in the world and the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. When measured against the size of a country's economy (GDP per person), Uganda is the fourth-largest refugee-hosting country.
Three parallel emergency influxes from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi led to more than 100,000 people seeking safety in Uganda in 2015.
Journalist
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and latr Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.
