Uganda’s government is facing criticism following a controversial deal with Donald Trump, which sends back all the migrants unwanted by the US back to the country. Uganda is already the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with 1.9 million refugees and asylum seekers. Last week, Uganda’s foreign ministry said it had reached a temporary arrangement with Trump to accept deported foreign migrants “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.”
Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared on X: “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 shall be the ones transferred to Uganda. The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented.”
Ex-leader of Uganda’s opposition Mathias Mpuuga told AP that “the whole scheme stinks” without parliamentary oversight. Many in Uganda fear the country won’t have enough resources to accommodate migrants from the US. The country already hosts nearly 2 million refugees, most of whom fled conflict in neighboring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Raymond Mujuni a journalist and international relations teacher, told CNN that although the deal helps relieve the burden for the US, it it not helpful for Uganda. He said: “This merely exerts more pressure on its scarce resources. There’s a lot left to desire in international law with this deal.”
Beyond the issue of refugees, some observers worry that the US migrant deal with Uganda could create additional challenges for the country as it approaches next year’s presidential election.
“The agreement between the US and Uganda may shield the Ugandan government from critical scrutiny regarding its authoritarian practices, particularly as the country approaches a general election,” Nicodemus Minde, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies think tank, told CNN.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has accelerated deportations of undocumented migrants to third countries. In July, five men were sent to Eswatini and eight to South Sudan, while hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members were transferred to El Salvador before being returned home. Rights groups warn these actions may breach international law.
