KAMPALA – Captain Francis Edward Babu, a veteran ruling party, NRM cadre has criticized the government of Uganda for its move to host Afghans.
On Wednesday, Esther Anyakun, the state minister for disaster preparedness and refugees said that Uganda is read to host a whopping 2000 Afghans fleeing their country after Taliban forces seized control over the weekend as the United States pulled out.
She said the refugees will be hosted temporarily at the request of the United States government.
Commenting on the matter on Wednesday, Babu wondered why Uganda is bringing refugees from countries that have been a part of terrorism.
“Why can’t USA take those refugees?” he asked on morning TV show.
Babu said that it would be very okay if Uganda was helping neighbors and fellow Africans.
“Why are we going to the middle East that has been a turbulent area for too long?”
“America has enough States to take just 2000 refugees, why are they pushing us to take them? We have already paid a price for being in Somalia, do we want more?”
It is reported that Uganda could accommodate the refugees in hotels and resorts, and that the financial cost for this accommodation, until a more permanent solution is found, will be covered by the US government.
Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa – more than 1.45 million, mostly from South Sudan but also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. The Bidibidi settlement alone hosts 235,000 people.
The country has one of the most progressive refugee policies in the world, allowing refugees to use land for housing and farming, work, and move around the country freely.
Meanwhile, the final destination for the refugees, who fear retaliation from the Taliban because they cooperated with NATO forces in Afghanistan, is the US. Their number is so far unknown.
Washington wants to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan and has been seeking other countries to host them temporarily while their papers for entering the US are finalised.
Thousands of Afghans have been airlifted from the troubled Asian country following the overthrow of the Afghanistan government by the Taliban.
