20,000 Ugandans to leave Iraq
THOUSANDS ousands of Ugandans may return home from Iraq where Americans are scaling down operations.
By VISION REPORTER
THOUSANDS ousands of Ugandans may return home from Iraq where Americans are scaling down operations.
A Ugandan deployed at one of the bases in an e-mail to New Vision confirmed receiving the “disturbing news†from his supervisor recently.
According to the message, one of the batches would leave for Uganda on October 2. The other groups would follow shortly.
The sender, who preferred anonymity, attributed the announcement to the fact that US troops were leaving Iraq. About 20,000 people would soon be on flights back, he wrote.
US President Barack Obama in February 2009 pledged to withdraw most US troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010. The rest, about 35,000 to 50,000, are expected to be out by the end of this year.
The deadline was set under an agreement the George Bush administration signed with the Iraqi government in 2008.
Ugandans were recruited by labour-exporting companies. While there, they were deployed at American bases.
The places they watched over included entrances to buildings, Internet cafes, dining halls referred as dining facilities and check points.
A woman fresh from a stint in the war-ravaged country said the Americans had several meetings with the Iraqis to prepare for the transition.
Averagely, a Ugandan guard in Iraq earns about $400 (about sh1m) per month. Out of this, they get about $50 for upkeep.
About four years ago, wages for such people totaled $1,000 (about sh2.6m). However, the amount reduced gradually under unexplained circumstances, which prompted some Ugandans to give up.
When contacted for a comment yesterday, a senior official at the gender ministry doubted the source’s assertion.
“If a contract ends, then the people have to come back. I have not heard of a big group coming back,†the official said.
Companies, he said, bid for such contracts in May and July, adding that most contracts expired in August and September. Recruitment occurs in October and November.
THOUSANDS ousands of Ugandans may return home from Iraq where Americans are scaling down operations.
A Ugandan deployed at one of the bases in an e-mail to New Vision confirmed receiving the “disturbing news†from his supervisor recently.
According to the message, one of the batches would leave for Uganda on October 2. The other groups would follow shortly.
The sender, who preferred anonymity, attributed the announcement to the fact that US troops were leaving Iraq. About 20,000 people would soon be on flights back, he wrote.
US President Barack Obama in February 2009 pledged to withdraw most US troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010. The rest, about 35,000 to 50,000, are expected to be out by the end of this year.
The deadline was set under an agreement the George Bush administration signed with the Iraqi government in 2008.
Ugandans were recruited by labour-exporting companies. While there, they were deployed at American bases.
The places they watched over included entrances to buildings, Internet cafes, dining halls referred as dining facilities and check points.
A woman fresh from a stint in the war-ravaged country said the Americans had several meetings with the Iraqis to prepare for the transition.
Averagely, a Ugandan guard in Iraq earns about $400 (about sh1m) per month. Out of this, they get about $50 for upkeep.
About four years ago, wages for such people totaled $1,000 (about sh2.6m). However, the amount reduced gradually under unexplained circumstances, which prompted some Ugandans to give up.
When contacted for a comment yesterday, a senior official at the gender ministry doubted the source’s assertion.
“If a contract ends, then the people have to come back. I have not heard of a big group coming back,†the official said.
Companies, he said, bid for such contracts in May and July, adding that most contracts expired in August and September. Recruitment occurs in October and November.