Violence erupts over Refugee Welfare Council election dispute
Two refugees were killed and offices belonging to the UNHCR, the police and Uganda's Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) were damaged or burnt during violent protests at Imve Refugee Settlement in Terego District on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. The unrest, which began as a dispute over the nomination process for the Refugee Welfare Council (RWC) leadership, left extensive property destroyed and prompted the arrest of dozens of suspects, according to officials.
The violence erupted in the afternoon at Imvepi Base Camp in Yinga village, Lugbari parish, Odupi sub-county. According to a detailed account from West Nile Region Police Spokesperson, SSP Josephine Angucia, the election process for RWC levels 1 and 3 had begun with candidate nominations between August 10 and August 14. The trouble was traced to an unsuccessful aspirant, Loro Charles James, who, despite failing to secure a nomination from the electoral committee, continued to campaign.
Community members complained to the OPM, and on Monday, August 24, OPM officials held a joint harmonization meeting with cleared candidates and instructed Mr. Loro to stop his campaign activities immediately.
Protest turns violent
On Tuesday, at about 2:30 pm, South Sudanese refugees supporting Mr. Loro marched to Imvepi Police Station carrying flipcharts with messages that there would be no elections on August 26 — the scheduled date — unless their candidate was on the ballot paper.
Police said they engaged the group and advised them to move to an open playground where their grievances could be addressed peacefully, but the crowd turned hostile. The protesters began stoning officers, vandalized the OPM administrative block, and set fire to properties inside. The Imvepi police office and barracks were also set on fire, while the UNHCR office block and OPM canteen were severely vandalized. Rioters also torched a police motorcycle, a generator and a vehicle belonging to Palm Corps, while two other vehicles were badly damaged with one damaged vehicle belonging to Palm Corps.
Deaths and arrests
Police sources said that two male South Sudanese refugees were killed during the chaos. Reports from the Uganda Police Force indicate the two died after being struck by stray bullets as security personnel used live ammunition to disperse the crowd and — according to police — to restrain two individuals who allegedly attempted to grab guns from police officers. The bodies were conveyed to Arua Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examinations, though other accounts indicate they were handed over to relatives for burial without mention of a postmortem.
By Wednesday morning, joint security teams led by Terego District Police Commander had rounded up 37 suspects. Earlier, four suspects had been arrested on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Angucia said the suspects are being detained at Terego Central Police Station and are being investigated for alleged arson, and malicious property damage.
Later reports from police spokesperson Angucia provided a fuller figure: the arrests brought the number of people in custody to at least 41. Police noted that seven suspects in custody escaped during the chaos.
Investigation
A case of arson and malicious damage to property was opened at Terego Central Police Station, under file Terego CRB 289/2026. Investigations are ongoing. The Uganda Police Force reported that the two police officers were injured during the riots, and a preliminary estimate put the property damage in Imvepi Refugee Settlement at billions of shillings, including several OPM motorcycles and Palm Corps vehicle the vehicle was burned.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and non-governmental organizations reportedly evacuated staff and essential belongings to Arua in the wake of the incident. Security personnel remain deployed in the settlement and calm has since returned, but normal activities remain raised.
Police say the immediate trigger for the violence was the dispute over the refugee council elections. In a statement, SSP Anguna condemned the riots and acts of refugees taking the law into their own hands.