Refugees from terror-ridden nations worry Uganda

PIC: Uganda is the eighth largest refugee hosting nation globally

KAMPALA - Uganda has voiced its security concerns over refugees flown into the country under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) from terror-ridden countries.

The minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, Hilary Onek, said refugees from countries globally viewed as hotbeds of terrorism pause grave security challenges for the East African country.

On Thursday, he told the visiting UK parliamentary under-secretary of state for international development, Nick Hurd, in Kololo, a Kampala suburb, that Uganda has already received refugees from Pakistan.

Hurd, who ended his two-day working visit to Uganda the same day, came to see for himself first-hand innovations and solutions for supporting refugees and host communities in Uganda.

More refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries devastated by armed conflicts in the Middle East, the minister said, may end up in Uganda.

"This stretches our security. We do not want the Orlando scenario here. However, the security forces are doing everything possible to deal with such possible threats and I want to commend them for the job well done so far," said Onek.

A suspected terrorist gunned down 49 people on Sunday in a gay nightclub in Orlando, the deadliest mass shooting in US and the nation's worst terror attack since the September 11, 2001 assault.

Uganda is the third largest refugee hosting country in Africa after Ethiopia and Kenya. The country is currently hosting over half a million refugees from East Africa, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions.

Uganda is the eighth largest refugee hosting nation globally.

A sizeable number of refugees are Somalis uprooted from their homes in the horn of Africa nation that did not have a functional government for over two decades. Somalia's Al-Shabaab terrorists killed over 70 people in the July 11, 2010 twin bombings in Kampala in what the militants called a retaliation assault on Uganda for its role in the fight against terrorism in Somalia.

Minister Onek said Uganda will not receive refugees from Kenya when the second largest refugee hosting country in Africa closes its Dadaab camp - the world's largest refugee resettlement complex - by the end of the year as planned.

‘We are hospitable and kind'

"We already have a refugee influx from other countries. We will not accept refugees from Kenya because we are already overstretched," he added, calling on the International Community to step up support to refugee-hosting countries.

Some refugees from countries such as Burundi and Rwanda have refused to return home for fear of reprisals, said the minister, adding that even their nations of origin are reluctant to take them back.

Uganda is widely appreciated for its hospitality and progressiveness as well as forward-thinking refugee and asylum approaches. "We have skilled refugees so that they return home better people. We are hospital and kind but the refugees should not abuse our kindness," Onek stressed.

The minister explained that Uganda has applied for a $50m (sh167b) loan from the World Bank to rehabilitate and build new public facilities like schools and health centres in refugee-hosting communities.

"The refugees are living better lives than Ugandans in refugee-hosting communities. We want to build public facilities for them. UNHCR has also agreed to build housing units for refugees."

On his part, Nick Hurd announced that the UK will give Uganda sh50b this year to try to deal with some of the challenges posed by the high refugee numbers. He appreciated that the world is grappling with unprecedented levels of humanitarian crises since the end of the World Wars.

"Thank you Uganda for your kindness and generosity. We would like to engage with Uganda at every opportunity. We appreciate your efforts in making refugees self-reliant and integration of refugee concerns in national development plans."