South Sudanese nationals living in Uganda have praised the country’s hospitality and relative stability, saying it has given them a chance to celebrate Christmas in peace after fleeing conflict at home.
Speaking to Bbeg Media at Lubaga Cathedral after attending the English mass on Christmas Day, Dorita Ernest, a businesswoman based in Lungujja, Lubaga division, and Guot Ngong, a human resource management specialist, expressed gratitude to Uganda and its people for offering them refuge.
“We are very grateful to our fellow Africans in Uganda and to your government for hosting us. We were running away from conflict, and here we are able to celebrate Christmas in a peaceful and safe country, unlike back home in South Sudan,” Ernest said.
Ernest, who attended the service with her mother, husband, and children, said her family regularly worships at Lubaga Cathedral and draws strength from the church’s teachings on love, peace, unity, reconciliation, and compassion.
She added that Uganda’s calm environment has allowed her family to live normally again, including shopping freely, accessing services, and visiting recreational places, things she said were impossible during the height of the war in South Sudan.
“Here, life is organised. We can move, work, and worship without fear. That alone is a big blessing for us,” she said.
Ngong, who previously worked with Nile Petroleum Services in Juba before relocating to Uganda, said settling into life had been eased by the availability of South Sudanese food such as kisra, okra, and other traditional dishes sold in parts of Kampala.
“When you find your food, your people, and a welcoming community, you feel closer to home. It helps with healing after what we went through,” he said.
He added that Christmas back home is usually marked by traditional dances and communal celebrations that reflect South Sudan’s cultural heritage and pride, practices many still try to maintain while in exile.
The two said they were forced to flee South Sudan following renewed fighting linked to political tensions between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his former vice-president, Riek Machar. The conflict erupted after Machar was dismissed in a cabinet reshuffle in 2013, later forming the SPLM-IO after breaking away from the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
What followed was a brutal civil war, largely along political and ethnic lines, that left an estimated 400,000 people dead and displaced more than 2.5 million others. Uganda became one of the main destinations for those escaping the violence, hosting hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees in settlements such as Bidi Bidi, Adjumani, and Palabek, as well as many who settled in urban areas like Kampala.
Although peace agreements have been signed over the years, sporadic violence, political mistrust, and delays in implementing key reforms have continued to push people out of the country.
For Ernest and Ngong, however, this Christmas was less about politics and more about survival, faith, and gratitude.
“Being alive, being safe, and being able to pray freely is everything,” Ernest said.
“Uganda has given us that.”
