TEREGO — Police have arrested 37 suspects following violent riots at Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Terego District that left two South Sudanese refugees dead and several government and humanitarian facilities damaged or set ablaze.
The arrests were made by the Terego District police team by 9:00am on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, as investigations into Tuesday’s violence continued.
The unrest erupted on Tuesday, August 25, following disagreements over the Refugee Welfare Council (RWC) elections, which provide community leadership structures within refugee settlements.
According to West Nile Regional Police spokesperson SSP Josephine Angucia, the violence escalated after supporters of an unsuccessful candidate marched to Imvepi Police Station demanding that the elections scheduled for August 26 be halted unless their candidate was included on the ballot.
The protesters reportedly turned violent, attacking police officers and vandalising government and humanitarian facilities.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) administrative block and Imvepi Police offices and barracks were reportedly set on fire, while the UNHCR office block and OPM canteen were vandalised. A police motorcycle and generator were also burnt, two vehicles were heavily damaged and two police officers were injured.
Police said seven suspects who were already in custody were also aided to escape during the chaos.
Two male South Sudanese refugees were subsequently killed after being struck by stray bullets during the confrontation, according to police. Their bodies were taken to Arua Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examination.
Dispute over refugee elections
The violence reportedly followed a dispute surrounding nominations for Refugee Welfare Council leadership positions.
Police said nominations for RWC levels 1 and 3 were conducted between August 10 and 14. One unsuccessful aspirant, identified by police as Loro Charles James, allegedly continued campaigning after failing to secure nomination.
The Office of the Prime Minister and other stakeholders subsequently held a meeting with candidates on Monday, August 24 and instructed Loro to stop campaigning.
Police said that on Tuesday afternoon, supporters of Loro marched to Imvepi Police Station carrying placards protesting the planned election.
The situation deteriorated after the group allegedly rejected police instructions to move to an open area where their grievances could be addressed. “The crowd then turned violent, stoning police officers and setting fire to the OPM administrative block and all property inside, the Imvepi Police office and barracks, and vandalising the UNHCR office block and OPM canteen,” SSP Angucia said.
A joint security operation involving police and other security personnel was subsequently deployed to restore order. Reinforcements were reportedly brought in from neighbouring Maracha District and the Field Force Unit in the West Nile region.
Police opened a case of arson and malicious damage to property at Terego Central Police Station under file Terego CRB 289/2026.
SSP Angucia condemned the violence and warned that those found responsible would face prosecution. “We condemn acts of refugees taking the law into their own hands, causing destruction and injuring others without allowing settlement authorities to resolve their concerns peacefully and lawfully,” she said.
The incident has again exposed the fragile line between community leadership disputes and wider insecurity inside refugee settlements. Imvepi was established in 2017 to accommodate South Sudanese refugees fleeing conflict in their country.
Police said investigations remain ongoing and further arrests are possible as investigators establish the individual roles of those involved in the violence.
The question now is not simply who threw the first stone or who set the first building alight. It is how a dispute over refugee representation was allowed to escalate into a confrontation in which refugees died, police facilities were attacked and humanitarian infrastructure was destroyed.
