Photo : MARTIN OKUDI/Daily Monitor
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : MARTIN OKUDI/Daily Monitor
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Uganda: At least 200 die of hunger across two districts in the northeast
On 19 July, Reuters reported over 200 people had died of hunger caused by drought and insecurity, in July in Uganda's northeast. The head of Kaabong district's local government said 184 people had died in the district and at least 22 had died in Kitodo district. The news report attributes the starvation to lack of development and increasing raids on cattles by armed groups. A spokesperson from the prime minister's office did not mention the exact death toll but said the government had sent food trucks to the region earlier in July. (“More Than 200 People Die as Drought Ravages Northeast Uganda,” US News, 19 July 2022)
Home Office was warned against asylum policy, reveal documents in High Court
On 19 July, The Guardian reported the High Court proceedings on the UK's policy to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda. The documents submitted to the High Court indicate that several UK government officials had cautioned the Home Office against the policy on many grounds, including that Rwanda was accused of recruiting refugees to carry out armed operations in neighbouring countries and that the UK had placed Rwanda on the amber/red list over human rights concerns. One of the claimants in the court said: "The revelations at today’s hearing are extraordinary. They paint a picture of a home secretary desperate to railroad this policy through even in the face of serious reservations being raised by senior departmental officials." (Diane Taylor, "UK officials raised concerns over Rwanda policy, documents show," The Guardian, 19 July 2022)