Uganda concluded an agreement with the United States to accept deported migrants on the specific condition that the individuals possess no criminal record and are not unaccompanied minors, officials confirmed on Thursday, 21 August.
The Ugandan foreign affairs ministry stated that the “two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented,” adding that the deal had been “concluded,” though it remains unclear if it has been formally signed.
A further preference was expressed by Ugandan officials that those brought into the country under this arrangement should be nationals of African countries. This development emerges amid a complex backdrop of international migration and deportation policies.
The announcement was met with a note of caution from within the Ugandan government. International Relations Minister Henry Okello Oryem said that while Uganda is globally recognised for its benevolent refugee policy, there are definite limits to its acceptance. He questioned the fundamental premise of accepting individuals rejected by their own nations.
“We are talking about cartels: people who are unwanted in their own countries. How can we integrate them into local communities in Uganda?” Oryem asked.
Minister Oryem sought to clarify the government’s broader discussions, emphasising that they primarily concern “visas, tariffs, sanctions, and related issues, not accepting illegal aliens from the US.”
This arrangement follows recent US deportation actions within the African continent. Just last July, the United States deported five men with criminal backgrounds to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini and sent a further eight individuals to South Sudan.
