Newly arrived refugees from South Sudan queue in line to be registered on November 11, 2016 at Kuluba, Uganda. PHOTO | AFP
Uganda has asked refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan to return home.
Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Mr Hilary Onek, cited the three countries saying
they are now stable.
they are now stable.
“Some
countries have become politically stable; so refugees from there should
go back and settle. Some of them keep going and coming back,” he said.
He
made the remarks while addressing delegates at the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (Igad) high-level experts and ministerial
meeting on jobs, livelihoods and self-reliance for refugees, returnees
and host communities at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala on Thursday.
Mr
Onek also complained that some of the refugees, instead of
reciprocating the hospitality afforded by the government and Ugandan
hosts, had turned into enemies.
“Of late, some people
have started quarrelling with us and yet we looked after them, we gave
them opportunities, education and good accommodation. All of a sudden,
they have become our enemies over nothing. We only ask God to deal with
them because we have done nothing,” he added.
While the minister did not elaborate, Uganda and Rwanda are
trying to resolve a longstanding dispute that has seen relations sour
and trade hampered.
Kigali accuses Kampala of
hosting rebels opposed to its government and subjecting Rwandan citizens
to illegal arrests and torture. Kampala, on the other hand, accuses of
Rwanda of acts of espionage and unfair trade practices.
There
are about 130,000 Rwandans and 14,000 Burundians living in Uganda as
refugees, according to government figures. South Sudanese refugees are
about one million.
Ms Duniya Khan, the spokesperson of
the UN refugee agency in Uganda, said repatriation of refugees should
comply with existing, binding international refugee policy.
“As
far as we know, there has been no change in (Uganda) government policy
in hosting and continuing to receive refugees while there is always the
hope that eventually refugees can and will return voluntarily when
situations stabilise. Return must be voluntary,” she noted in reply to
inquiries from Daily Monitor.
Uganda’s policy
on refugees has been applauded globally as liberal because it gives
refugees rights to acquire and own land, do business, study or get jobs.
Mr Mahboub Maalim, the Igad executive secretary, said the three-day meeting had made declarations to amend national policies and regulations on free movement of people and trade among member countries.
Mr Mahboub Maalim, the Igad executive secretary, said the three-day meeting had made declarations to amend national policies and regulations on free movement of people and trade among member countries.
“We
are using Uganda as a case on how hospitable they have been so that
other countries can also do the same. We want countries to become more
tolerant to their nationals and others through giving them equal rights
with those of citizens,” Mr Maalim said.
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