Nakivale (Uganda) : butcher shops closed after suspected bovine disease outbreak

SOS Médias Burundi

Nakivale, December 26, 2025 – An unidentified cattle disease has appeared in and around the Nakivale refugee camp. According to veterinarians, this suspected disease could have serious consequences for consumers of meat from animals that died from the outbreak.

Following alerts from local health authorities, the camp administration has banned the consumption of all livestock meat pending the results of veterinary tests. Cows, goats, sheep, and pigs are affected. Butcher shops and slaughterhouses remain closed, and no meat dishes are being sold in restaurants.

The administration justifies this measure as necessary protection for the population, while traders in and around the camp say they are affected and are calling on the Ministries of Agriculture and Public Health to vaccinate livestock and allow the resumption of the meat trade.

Traders who had stockpiled meat before the ban was announced are denouncing the financial losses and demanding to be able to sell their merchandise. Local authorities and the police, for their part, reiterate that the clandestine sale is strictly prohibited, arguing that the lives of all refugees could be endangered if the measure is not respected. Severe fines and penalties are planned for violators.

Nakivale, located in the Isingiro district in southwestern Uganda, currently hosts more than 150,000 refugees, including more than 33,000 Burundians.