International affairs experts frown at the idea of the UN acting as a supra-national power. It can only make remarks and recommendations to sovereign nations and not order them around. The case in point is the UN dishing out instructions to Uganda. It says Uganda must investigate allegations of “human trafficking” and corruption in its refugee camps.
What makes the matter more intriguing is that the order is not coming from the UN Scribe, Antonio Guterres. It is coming rather from the UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Rosa Malango. The UN official said she had written to the government at the end of last month over allegations ranging from “corruption to fraud, from trafficking of women and girls to intimidation and harassment of UN personnel.”
The level of human rights abuses is not defined, but Mrs. Malango said they warranted writing to Uganda’s Prime Minister at the end of last month. The top UN official expatiated, “The moment anybody raises anything that looks or smells like sexual exploitation or abuse I must demand for an immediate investigation, and I must demand for immediate action because we have zero tolerance”.
However, it has for long been alleged that South Sudanese girls are being trafficked from refugee camps in northern Uganda across the border. Reports said they are sold as “wives” to combatants to the knowledge of Ugandan officials.
Secondly, it is suspected that Uganda deliberately inflates refugee figures in order to attract more aid from the West, which is then stolen by the officials. Uganda claims to house 1.4 million refugees, with majority of them coming from South Sudan, fleeing the civil war there.
According to reports, one significant Western donor has already suspended aid to Uganda because of the allegations. The donor demanded the implementation of a UN-controlled biometric system of refugee identification.
Mrs. Malango said the UNHCR, and the World Food Program, WFP, had begun to undertake internal audits of their operations in Uganda as a result of the corruption allegations.
Uganda is among the world’s poorest countries but has been widely praised for its progressive refugee policy. Refugees are welcomed, given land and the opportunity to work, in stark contrast to many rich countries. During a visit to the country last Wednesday, the Head of the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, commended Uganda for having, “one of the most progressive policies for refugees, not only in Africa but also in the world.”
