Civil Strife In South Sudan And Experiences Of Refugees In Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Kiryandongo District, Uganda

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the civil strife in South Sudan from accounts of South Sudanese

refugees in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement and Provision of Social Services to South

Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Kiryandongo District, Uganda.

The study was guided by four research objectives which included: to explore refugee life

experience before the war; to evaluate refugees' perception of the causes of the civil war;

to find out nature and quality of social services provided to refugees in Kiryandongo; and

determine impact of refugees' influx on the provision social services in Kiryandongo.

The study was a qualitative research that employed a cross-sectional research design and

in addition to that utilized the case study design too. Kiryandongo refugee settlement was

chosen as the case study. The research methods involved using three tools of qualitative

analysis that is observations, interviews with refugee respondents and key-informants,

and focus group discussions to gather data. This was supplemented with literature review

of documents akin to UNHCR reports relevant to the research topic. The respondents

within the sample were chosen by means of non-probability methods like purposive

sampling so that only refugees in the settlement who were affected by the civil war were

picked. The study findings showed that in fact the conflict in South Sudan from 15

December 2013 was due to political dynamics and ethnicity was a consequence rather

than a cause of the conflict. The provision of social services declined and some sectors

improved thereafter such as WASH where available water levels declined and improved

between December 2013 to April 2014; in education primary school classrooms were

overcrowded with teacher to pupil ratio being 1 :88 and never improved; health sector

was challenged with medicine supply being insufficient also medical personnel being

under staffed: land provided for residential and agricultural purpose was not impacted

negatively by surge in influx. Overall the study discerned that the influx of new arrivals

didn't hinder operations of providing social services even in the event that more arrivals

would come. On the other hand, the study found out that there is a need to step-up the

efforts of providing social services so that all sectors, from ailing ones like education and

health to stabilized ones like WASH, can be upto perfect standards. Generally, the study

can state that the provision of social services to refugee in the settlement was impacted

negatively by the civil war in South Sudan but the services provided enabled the refugees

to live a life without abuse of their human rights regardless of the hardship experienced.

The study recommends that civil strife be mediated to a halt to alleviate the strain in

social services provision being endured by humanitarian organizations in Kiryandongo

settlement.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL ............................................................................................................................. ii

DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. ·········· V

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ viii

ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................... ix

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. xi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the Study ..................................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 Historical Perspective ....................................................................................................... 1

1.1.2 Theoretical Perspective ..................................................................................................... 2

1.1.3 Conceptual Perspective ..................................................................................................... 4

1.1.4 Contextual Perspective ..................................................................................................... 5

1.2 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................... 7

1.3 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................ 8

1.4 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................. 8

1.4.1 General Objectives ............................................................................................................ 8

1.4.2 Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................... 8

1.4.3 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 8

l .5Scope of the Study ................................................................................................................ 8

1.5.1 Geographical Scope .......................................................................................................... 8

l .5.2Content Scope .................................................................................................................... 9

1.5.3 Time Scope ....................................................................................................................... 9

1.6 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................... 10

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 11

2.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 11

2.1 Theoretical Review ............................................................................................................ 11

2.1.1 Theory of Human Needs ................................................................................................. 11

2.2 Civil Strife ........................................................................................................................ 12

2.3 Service Provision to Refugees in the Face of Civil Strife ................................................. 16

V

2.4 Summary of Gap Identified .............................................................................................. 22

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 23

3.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 23

3.1 R.esearch Design ................................................................................................................ 23

3.2 Study Area ......................................................................................................................... 24

3.3 R.esearch Methods .............................................................................................................. 24

3.4 San1pling Procedure .......................................................................................................... 27

3.4.1 Research Population ....................................................................................................... 27

3.4.2 San1ple Size .................................................................................................................... 27

3.5 Validity and Reliability of the Results ............................................................................... 28

3.6 I)ata Gathering Procedure .................................................................................................. 28

3.7 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 29

3.9 Li1nitations of the Study .................................................................................................... 30

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA, PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

OF FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 3 l

4.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 31

4.1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents ................................................... 31

4.l.l Jge .................................................................................................................................. 31

4.1.2 (;ender ............................................................................................................................. 32

4.1.3 Marital Status .................................................................................................................. 33

4.1.4 Education Level .............................................................................................................. 33

4.2 Presentation of the findings ............................................................................................... 34

4.3 Findings ............................................................................................................................. 34

4.3.1 Refugee Life Experience before the Civil Strife ............................................................ 34

4 .3 .2 Refugee Perception of the Cause of the War. ................................................................. 3 8

4.3.3 Social Services Provided in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement.. .................................... 40

4.3.4 Impact of Refugee Influx on Provision of Social Services ............................................. Ll2

4.4 I)iscussions ........................................................................................................................ 50

4.4.1 Cause of the Civil War ................................................................................................... 50

4.4.2 Impact on Social Services Provision to Refugees due to the Influx ............................... 55

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................ 6L1

5.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 64

vi

5. I Conclusion ...... ...................................... ................................................................ ............. 64

5.2 Recommendations ................................................... ........ ............................. ................. ..... 65

5.2. l Mitigating the civil strife ..................................................... ...... .... .......... ..... .. ................ 65

5.2.2 Social Services Provided ................ ............................................... .. ......... .... ........... ....... 65

5.3 Areas of Further Research ..... .. .... ... .......... ............ .. .. .. ........... .. ........ ................ ...... ... ...... ... 67

REFER.ENCES ........................ ................................................ .. ... ...... ...... ......... ..... ..... .. ... .... . 68

APPENDIX I : INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR THE RESPONDENTS .... ... .. .... ........ ........... 74

APPENDIX II: AN INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

FROM DISTRICT LEVEL, OPM OI1'FICIALS, UNHCR REPRESENTATIVES,

AND LOCAL COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES ............................................ .. .. ...... 79

APPENDIX III: BUDGET .. .... ....... .......... .... ... .. .................................................................... 84

APPENDIX IV: RECOMMENDATION LETTERS .. .. ... ....... ...... .. .. .... .................................. 86

APPENDIX V: ACCEPTANCE LETTER ............................................................. .. .... .......... 87