South Sudan Conflict Escalation Drives Asylum Seekers into Uganda

By Mike Rwothomio

Escalating warfare in South Sudan has triggered a new wave of displacement, pushing at least 85 asylum seekers, including women and children, into Uganda’s West Nile region via the Busia Border in Koboko district on March 27, 2025.

 The influx follows intensified hostilities as the fragile 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar teeters on collapse, raising fears of a return to full-scale civil war. 

The rebel group SPLA-IO (South Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition) has seized control of the Busia Border area, prompting Ugandan authorities to close it to outbound crossings while deploying intelligence teams to monitor the volatile frontier.

West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson SP Collins Asea confirmed the asylum seekers were handed over to the Koboko Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and Local Council V (LCV) chairperson for further conflict-related displacement management.

 “We continue to receive refugees from South Sudan through Busia Border due to the ongoing insurgency,” Asea stated, noting the closure of the border to Ugandans attempting to cross into South Sudan due to SPLA-IO’s dominance and targeting by the South Sudan Army and Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).

Uganda, a key regional player, has deployed troops to South Sudan at President Kiir’s request to stabilize the deteriorating security situation amid the Kiir-Machar fallout.

 The international community warns that this escalation threatens to unravel the 2018 peace accord, designed to end years of belligerence that displaced millions.

 Uganda already hosts over 1.74 million refugees and asylum-seekers (as of September 2024), with more than 950,000 residing in West Nile, predominantly from South Sudan (55%), according to UNHCR data. In 2023 alone, Uganda received 98,232 new arrivals, underscoring its role as a sanctuary amid regional turmoil