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Accepted Paper:
Historizing Uganda’s approaches and response to South Sudanese refugees
Emmanuel Viga
(Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
To understand Uganda’s approach towards South Sudanese refugees, factors such as, cycles of conflict induced migration, economic interests, geopolitics, and global refugee regimes should be examined. In this paper, I examine three epochs: 1950 - 1989; 1989 - 2005; and from 2011 up to date.
Paper long abstract:
Uganda has been a host to South Sudanese refugees since 1950’s and currently South Sudanese refugees make up the biggest percentage of refugees in the country. Whereas geographical proximity seems to be the most logical reason and explanation for the large number of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, this paper argues to the contrary. This paper proposes that Uganda’s approaches towards South Sudanese refugees should be examined through the lens of tribal configurations at border posts between Uganda and South Sudan, cycles of conflict induced migration between the two countries, economic interests, geopolitics within the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa, and global refugee regimes. The paper historizes the interplay of these factors within three distinctive epochs: the years between 1950 and 1989 (Sudan’s civil wars); the years between 1989 and 2005 (South Sudan’s struggle for self-determination); and the years from 2011 up to date (South Sudan's nation building). The paper concludes by arguing that Uganda’s approaches towards South Sudanese refugees reflect global refugee regimes, are a product of domestic economic and political interests, and they are reflective of the geopolitics within the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa.