Mashad Organization is following with deep concern and sorrow the grave acts of violence that recently took place at the Bidi Bidi refugee camp in the Republic of Uganda. The incident involved a horrific assault with bladed weapons carried out by groups of youth affiliated with the Nuer tribe within the camp, resulting in numerous casualties and severe injuries among the refugees—many of whom were women and children—in a tragic scene that violates the most basic ethical and humanitarian values.
These attacks have caused widespread panic and instability within the camp, amid a clear failure of local security authorities to contain the situation or stop the recurring assaults. The attackers continue to roam freely in Cluster L, the epicenter of the violence, exacerbating the disaster and recalling the very horrors of conflict and bloodshed from which the refugees had fled in search of safety and protection.
Mashad Organization strongly condemns these heinous acts, affirming that what occurred constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the conventions and norms that guarantee the protection, dignity, and physical and psychological safety of refugees. Accordingly, we call on the Ugandan government to take full responsibility by intervening swiftly and decisively to secure the camp, uphold the rule of law, immediately halt the assaults, and bring the perpetrators to justice to ensure such crimes are not repeated.
The organization further calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and all relevant international partners and humanitarian organizations to urgently monitor the situation on the ground, provide immediate protection, medical aid, and humanitarian assistance to the affected, and work toward developing realistic and sustainable solutions—including the consideration of relocating Sudanese refugees to a safer and more stable location in full coordination with the Ugandan government.
In this context, Mashad Organization underscores the importance of fostering a culture of civil peace among refugees and urges all community components within the camp to prioritize reason, embrace the bonds of brotherhood, neighborliness, and shared history, and reject all forms of violence and discord in order to protect lives and preserve community cohesion, while honoring the host country that welcomed them under difficult and trying circumstances.
Finally, we express our full solidarity with the families of the victims and the injured, praying for a swift and complete recovery for the wounded. We reiterate that safeguarding the dignity and protection of refugees is an urgent obligation that admits no delay or negligence, and a collective responsibility that requires the concerted efforts of all.
