Research Note The Livelihood Strategies of South Sudanese in a Refugee Settlement in Uganda

Abstract

This paper examines the livelihood strategies of South Sudanese refugees who fled to northern Uganda. Civil war broke out in December 2013 in South Sudan and there were 1.6 million internally displaced persons and 265, 700 refugees as of October 2015. Nearly 184, 000 refugees have fled to Uganda and many of them have been protected in refugee settlements in the Adjumani District of northwestern Uganda, a district that borders South Sudan. This research was conducted in December 2014, August 2015, and August 2016 in a refugee settlement in Adjumani. I primarily interviewed Dinkas, who represent the majority of refugees in the refugee settlement and were pastoral people in South Sudan. Few people could bring their livestock to Uganda. Most refugees seemed to have survived by relying on assistance, such as rations from international humanitarian organizations. However, they survived not only by maintaining a passive position but also by actively reconstructing their lives through livelihood strategies. I found that the South Sudanese refugees employed the following strategies: 1) cultivation of crops that complement the food supply, 2) restoration by breeding livestock, and 3) access to a market. These livelihood strategies can secure a minimum amount of food to survive.