The Government of Uganda has confirmed the conclusion of an agreement with the United States of America as part of ongoing bilateral cooperation on migration management.
In a statement issued by Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the arrangement concerns third-country nationals who may not be granted asylum in the United States but are unable or unwilling to return to their countries of origin.
“As part of the bilateral cooperation between Uganda and the United States, an agreement for cooperation in the examination of protection requests was concluded,” Mr. Bagiire said.
He added, “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.”
He stressed that the arrangement is temporary and will be guided by clear conditions.
“This is a temporary arrangement with conditions including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” he explained.
Mr. Bagiire further clarified Uganda’s preference regarding the categories of individuals to be considered under the framework.
“Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries shall be the ones transferred to Uganda,” he noted.
The Permanent Secretary added that both governments are still working out the technical and operational modalities before the agreement comes into effect.
“The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented,” he said.
The clarification comes in response to growing public interest in Uganda’s cooperation with the United States on migration and asylum-related matters.
