Uganda confirms deal to accept migrants deported from US
In a statement on X on Thursday, Uganda's Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary (PS), Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, confirmed the signing of the agreement, which he insists is temporary, with Washington.
Despite Uganda initially dismissing reports of a deportation deal with Washington, Kampala has now confirmed an agreement with the United States to receive third-country nationals denied asylum in the Donald Trump-led nation.
In a statement on X on Thursday, Uganda's Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary (PS), Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, confirmed the signing of the agreement, which he insists is temporary, with Washington.
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"As part of the bilateral cooperation between Uganda and the United States, an Agreement for cooperation in the examination of protection requests was concluded," the statement reads.
"The Agreement is in respect of Third Country Nationals who may not be granted asylum in the United States but are reluctant to or may have concerns about returning to their countries of origin."
The PS, however, noted that any deal under the agreement would be limited in scope, excluding migrants with criminal backgrounds and unaccompanied children, and would primarily target African migrants.
"This is a temporary arrangement with conditions, including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted. Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries be the ones transferred to Uganda," said the PS.
"The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented."
The PS's remarks come just a day after Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister Okello Oryem downplayed the reports, insisting that Uganda, which shelters approximately two million refugees, cannot take on migrants.
The Minister issued the remarks following reports by American publications that Kampala had agreed to accept an unspecified number of African and Asian migrants who had sought asylum at the US-Mexico border.
"To the best of my knowledge, we have not reached such an agreement," the Minister told Reuters.
"We do not have the facilities and infrastructure to accommodate such illegal immigrants in Uganda."
The arrangement is part of Washington's wider strategy under Trump to broaden deportation partnerships outside Latin America. It is anchored in a US law that allows asylum seekers to be redirected to a "safe third country" deemed capable of handling their protection claims.
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