A total of 560 Ugandans have so far been safely evacuated from South Africa, amidst continued xenophobic attacks against migrants.
The third batch of 255 Ugandans arrived safely in the country, in the wee hours of Sunday, and were received at Entebbe International Airport by Ministry of Foreign affairs officials and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel.
The High Commissioner of Uganda to South Africa, Amb. Paul Amoru, expressed gratitude with the Government of Uganda and the South African Government for the efforts made towards the repatriation.
“With the safe arrival of this third batch carrying 255 Ugandan nationals, we have now successfully facilitated the voluntary return of 560 Ugandans from South Africa” he said.
Amb. Amoru noted that the returnees so far include 273 on the first flight, 32 on the second, and 255 on the third flight.
The evacuation follows a directive by President Yoweri Museveni, to safeguard the safety and welfare of Ugandans in light of recent anti-migrant violence and xenophobic incidents in the country.
The exercise follows weeks of unrest in parts of South Africa, where anti-immigrant protests escalated into violence, forcing hundreds of foreign nationals to seek safety.
Recently, the acting Foreign Affairs Minister Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, revealed that three Ugandans had been killed in the xenophobic attacks, with one of the victims identified as Nuwamanya Wilbert, while the other two have not yet been identified.
He further noted that the government is working to repatriate the bodies and support the bereaved families.
