The settlement was established in the early 1960s to accommodate refugees fleeing various conflicts in the region. Initially, Congolese refugees fleeing the Congo Crisis were settled in Achol-Pii during the 1960s. The camp continued to serve as a haven for displaced populations throughout the following decades. The settlement gained renewed significance in 1993 during an upsurge in fighting in southern Sudan between different Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) factions.[3] By early 2002, approximately 24,000 Sudanese refugees were housed in the settlement.[3][1]
The settlement faced a devastating attack on 13th and 14th July 1996 when the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) struck the camp, killing over 100 unarmed refugees and wounding several others over two days.[4][5][6]
This tragic incident highlighted the vulnerability of refugee populations in northern Uganda during the height of the LRA insurgency. Following the attack, survivors made passionate appeals to the Ugandan government to relocate them to safer areas in the southern parts of the country.[5][4][2]
In August 2000, the Lord's Resistance Army murdered six Sudanese and abducted three others in two separate raids on the camp.[7] The LRA attacked again in August 2002, killing over 60 refugees and kidnapping four employees of the International Rescue Committee. This attack, cited as the LRA's worst on any IDP camp, led to the closure of Achol-Pii and the transfer of its population to more secure locations west of the Nile River, including Kirgyandongo and Kyangwali.[2] In 2002, Achol-Pii underwent relocation efforts, with a phased movement of Sudanese refugees to other settlements, such as Kiryandongo and Kyangwali, as part of a broader initiative by the UNHCR, and in 2003, more than 16,000 Sudanese refugees were relocated.[8]
Following the 1996 attack and continued security threats, the UNHCR finalized plans to relocate approximately 24,000 Sudanese refugees from Achol-Pii to a new permanent camp in western Uganda.[9] The new arrivals were initially moved to Kiryandongo for temporary accommodation before being permanently transferred to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement approximately 100 kilometers west of Kiryandongo.[10]
The Ugandan government assured that the Sudanese refugees would be safer in Kyangwali, located near the shores of Lake Albert, away from the conflict zones that had plagued northern Uganda.[10]
Uganda