The gliding dances, the pulsating drums, the hunter’s leaps, and the warrior's jumps—dust rose gently with every footstep. Seated guests, shaded under tents, watched intently. Some captured the moments on their phones. It was a World Refugee Day celebration in Palabek Sub-county, Lamwo District, Northern Uganda.
We were treated to enticing cultural performances from South Sudan. But while the dancers—many of them school-aged children—sang and moved with energy, the mood felt subdued. Some children appeared thin and visibly malnourished, hinting at the food insecurity that shadows life in Palabek refugee settlements.
Children perform in Lamwo during celebrations to mark World Refugee Day 2025
My journey to Palabek on June 26 began in Gulu City. The first 100km to Kitgum was smooth, mostly on tarmac, through a green countryside. From Kitgum to Palabek, the 40km marrum stretch was uneven and bumpy in parts but surprisingly better maintained than many roads in or near Kampala.
Our van sliced through the wind almost alone—traffic was sparse. Even boda-bodas, now symbolic of Ugandan transport, were noticeably absent. Only a weary man with oxen broke the stillness. In the bush, we passed two traffic police officers. Someone joked they might be hungry—a satirical nod to the common tales of roadside bribery in Uganda.
A man walks with oxen along the road between Kitgum and Palabek
In the early afternoon, we arrived at Bright Future Primary School, the venue of the celebration. Banners—teardrops and L-stands—fluttered in the mild wind. They represented many organisations active in the refugee response.
Clad in our blue T-shirts—Building Stronger Universities (BSU) logo on one side of the chest, an olive-carrying dove (symbol of peace) on the other—we marched through the centre to take our seats just behind the guest of honour, Geoffrey Mugabe, representing the Commissioner of the Department of Refugees. This entry of over a dozen people from Gulu University—a team comprising professors, PhD and Mater's degree holders, and student interns—signalled an academic institution stepping into the refugee framework partnership.
The BSU team, led by the Coordinator, Dr. Agatha Alidri (3rd right), at the function.
Gulu University, located in northern Uganda, a region hosting thousands of refugees, has long engaged in refugee-focused research and outreach. But recently, with BSU support, it has adopted a bolder and more long-term approach to refugee engagement by launching a Centre of Excellence in Transitional Justice and Refugee Studies, housed within the university’s Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS).
The event provided an ideal platform to present this new centre to the many organisations working in the refugee sector, led by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Gulu University Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. David Okello Owiny, in his remarks, referred to the refugees as “our brothers and sisters,” before introducing the centre and welcoming them to join the university’s academic programmes. He also urged the OPM and UNHCR to include Gulu University among their collaborators.
Dr. Stella Laloyo Apecu, Chief of IPSS, echoed the call for partnership: “Projects will end, but the university will remain. I call upon all the partners to bring their work [to the centre]. Let’s document so that even generations to come can learn about refugee issues.”
Dr. Stella Laloyo Apecu (with microphone) and Prof. Owiny (2nd left), address the gathering
Palabek, officially launched in 2017, hosts more than 92,000 refugees, as of May 31, 2025. Uganda remains the top most refugee host in Africa, with nearly 2 million refugees.
Uganda’s progressive refugee policy permits freedom of movement, access to education and healthcare, and small plots of land for subsistence farming. But in recent years, dwindling donor support—partly due to global crises like COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine—has worsened conditions.
The 2025 Uganda Refugee Response Plan requires USD 968 million, yet only 12% of that is funded, leaving a critical shortfall, according to UNHCR.
“We are living through volatile times—more displacement, less funding,” said Iris Blom, the head of the UNHCR subregional office in Adjumani. “We’re here to show that we care, that we are not walking away.”
Ms. iris Blom addresses the gathering
Geoffrey Mugabe, representing the Commissioner for Refugees, added: “You never know what a refugee can become tomorrow. I know of a country whose leaders were once refugees,”—a likely reference to Rwanda. “Feel at home while you're in Uganda.”
Nuer women dress Mr. Mugabe in traditional attire as a sign of appreciation for the hospitality they are receiving from Uganda
As the sun set, we set off for Gulu through the Attiak route. The sounds of singing and dancing faded behind us. I thought: when the music stops and the tents are packed away, these people return to homes where food is scarce and survival uncertain.
