Everyday Social Interactions and Peaceful Coexistence among Young Refugees in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, Northern Uganda

This article examines the role of everyday social interactions in fostering peaceful coexistence among young refugees in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, Northern Uganda. Given that young people constitute an essential part of the population of the refugee settlement in Bidibidi, persistent grievances, mistrust, episodic violence, blame games, and stereotypes among them due to tribal conflict back in South Sudan present a challenge to social cohesion within the settlement. While formal approaches have been used to address this challenge, evidence suggests that they fail to fully connect with the social reality of the refugee youths. Therefore, the study, using a qualitative approach, sought to focus objectively on everyday interactions as a foundational and supplementary approach to promoting peaceful coexistence among various tribes, making efforts to move beyond the historical conflict that had plunged their society into perpetual conflict. The study findings indicate that everyday social interactions among refugee youths lead to familiarity, relationships, trust, and social cohesion, resulting in peaceful coexistence. Therefore, the study recommended strengthening community-based peacebuilding activities to promote sustainable, peaceful coexistence among refugee youth and the entire society.