Ugandan Afghans
President Yoweri Museveni, she added, had given her orders to prepare for the arrival of 2,000 Afghan refugees in 500-person shifts.
Ugandans awoke on August 17 to learn that the government has agreed to temporarily house 2,000 Afghan refugees in response to a request from the US government.
Many Ugandans had previously been unaware of the long-running conflict in Afghanistan. Few could have predicted that their country would become involved in the crisis, even if only as a source of humanitarian aid.
Instead, thousands of Afghans fled for their lives when Taliban insurgents marched through the country and took control of the capital, Kabul, in the middle of August. President Ashraf Ghani was widely quoted as stating he left Afghanistan to avert bloodshed.
Uganda’s state minister for relief, disaster preparedness, and refugees, Esther Davinia Anyakun, announced that the United States has asked Uganda to house 2,000 Afghan refugees leaving the country.
President Yoweri Museveni, she added, had given her orders to prepare for the arrival of 2,000 Afghan refugees in 500-person shifts.
She disclosed that the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has acquired the Imperial Group of hotels in Entebbe as a transit and screening center for Afghans. The Afghans will reside in Uganda for at least three months before being transported to a third nation, she said.
On August 25, a chartered flight carrying 51 Afghan evacuees landed at Entebbe’s old airport early in the morning. According to the Independent, the flight was organized by Sayara International, an Afghan-American services company.
The Afghan evacuees were welcomed by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Uganda, an American humanitarian organization that has worked in Afghanistan for 30 years and in Uganda since 1998. They will be assisted with housing, healthcare, and general welfare services during their temporary stay in Uganda.
“The IRC is happy to be assisting the Government of Uganda and the US Embassy in receiving and supporting 51 Afghan evacuees who landed in Uganda at 7.53 a.m. this morning,” IRC Uganda Country Director Elijah Okeyo stated immediately after the evacuees arrived in Uganda.
“Afghan evacuees would pass via Uganda before requesting for asylum in countries where they will be resettled, such as the United States.”
“Uganda has a long history of embracing migrants from all over the world, and it is one of the world’s largest refugee hosting countries, with 1.5 million refugees primarily from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The evacuees, which comprised men, women, and children, were subjected to security screening as well as mandated COVID-19 testing and quarantine procedures, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The United States, as the largest bilateral backer of refugees in Uganda and their Ugandan host communities, appreciates the Ugandan people’s compassion and hospitality toward these groups, according to a statement from the American embassy in Kampala.
“The Ugandan government has once again proved its desire to participate in international issues. We applaud its efforts, as well as those of local and international organizations in Uganda that are providing humanitarian assistance to these Afghan evacuees in collaboration with the Ugandan government.”
The US mission in Kampala’s spokesperson said, “The United States appreciates the Government of Uganda’s offer to provide temporary assistance to Afghanistan evacuees and commends international organization representatives in Uganda for their partnership and for lending their expertise and support to Afghanistan evacuees.”
