WEST NILE, UGANDA – A South Sudanese woman died in Uganda’s Terego district on Saturday when an artisanal gold mine collapsed on her as she was collecting gold nuggets deep underground.
Another individual has been hospitalized after a near fatal suffocation at the Terengo mine.
The deceased – whose identity has been withheld out of respect for her grieving family – died at Imvepi Refugee Settlement, where refugees have turned to unregulated mining to put food on the table.
The 35-year-old victim passed away at 2pm on Saturday after being buried in the cave. West Nile police public relations officer told local media they have launched an investigation into the death at the site.
“The district OC CID and his team responded swiftly to the scene and the conscious victim was rescued and transported to Yinga Health Center III for treatment while the deceased body was taken to Arua Regional Hospital for Postmorterm examination,” local police spokesperson, Collins Asea, told Daily Monitor newspaper.
As of June 30, 2025, Uganda is hosting over 1,016,000 South Sudanese refugees, primarily located in settlements in the northern part of the country, but some also live in Ugandan towns and villages.
The large number of refugees has placed a strain on resources and services in the host communities.
Following US foreign aid cuts, humanitarian agencies have had no choice but to repeatedly reduce food rations to displaced and vulnerable populations, including tens of thousands of South Sudanese refugees in the region.
The ration cuts by United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) combined with irregular registration of new arrivals, has left many refugees without adequate food.
