Only 13 Ugandans Evacuated
The government says it has made some strides in evacuating Ugandans in Afghanistan, despite resistance from some.
Foreign Affairs Minister Jejje Odongo while appearing before the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee mentioned that close to 13 Ugandans fled.
Odongo says 10 Ugandans were evacuated by United Nations (UN) on flights to United Kingdom (UK) and 6 have arrived.
He further explains that 3 other Ugandans expressed interest in evacuation and arrangements were made to airlift in US aircraft to Berlin, Germany as they wait to travel to Uganda.
Odongo said that one of the three Ugandans has been evacuated with a US aircraft and is in Berlin, Germany, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly offering the necessary assistance to get him back to Uganda.
The Minister said Uganda was among 60 other nations that reached out to the Taliban to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens.
Only 13 Ugandans Evacuated
However, he says some Ugandans in Afghanistan are unwilling to return; “They simply say we are okay, we don’t want to leave, so we can’t force them to leave. The evacuation of Ugandans is done voluntarily, we aren’t forcing anyone to leave Afghanistan.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also gave an update of the 51 refugees that arrived last week, saying the request to host the Afghan nationals is temporary and the group is undergoing quarantine as part of the measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
He however says they do not know how long Afghanistan refugees are going to be staying.
