Afghan refugees: Scramble in Uganda's top circles after leak on US deal

Kampala. Senior Ugandan officials held a crisis meeting last evening to thrash out details of a plan to host at least 2,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

The government was plunged into a public relations turmoil after a top bureaucrat, whom President Yoweri Museveni briefed about the secret arrangement with the US, impulsively disclosed it to juniors.

Subsequently, the new State Minister in-charge of Refugees, Ms Esther Anyakun, confirmed to Daily Monitor that President Museveni had endorsed the deal, much to the chagrin of State House.

“We expect to host them temporarily before they can be relocated by [the] US government. It was a request from the US government to His Excellency (President Museveni). We started preparations yesterday (Monday),” she said by telephone.

Leak of the news prompted diplomats, political and security leaders to scramble to limit potential fallout from leaking details of the incomplete arrangement. The deal was brokered between Washington and Kampala at the highest levels of government.

According to Ms Anyakun, Uganda would host 2,000 Afghan nationals temporarily — for three months or longer — with the emergency landing of the first batch expected in the country anytime.

The first group of 500 was expected in Uganda on Monday night, but they did not land for unexplained reasons.

Courted by US

Uganda is among half-a-dozen African countries that the US has and courted to host fleeing Afghan nationals after Taliban fighters, deposed by American troops two decades ago, toppled President Ashraf Ghani’s government and bounced back to power in a stunning takeover.

Washington pumped about $1 trillion over 20 years ostensibly to rebuild Afghanistan, strengthen its institutions for democratic governance and improve the country’s security after pushing the Taliban out. It had accused the group of hosting Al Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, who was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil that killed more than 3,000 people.

But after two decades of a fruitless war and a rising human toll and financial costs, the US struck a peace deal with the Taliban, negotiated in Qatar, and withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, leaving President Ghani's government exposed and crumbling within weeks of Taliban's onslaught.

Taliban fighters barrelled to power with limited resistance, capturing the capital Kabul with ease to the world’s surprise.

This development has prompted the US to lead evacuation efforts for its local allies who are trapped there, among other fleeing citizens.

Commotion

In Kampala, about 2,900 miles away from Kabul, or a 14-hour flight with a stop-over in Dubai, the unexpected disclosure of plans to host 2,000 Afghans refugees sparked commotion in government.

A hastily-convened afternoon press conference at Uganda Media Centre, the government communications clearing house, was aborted at the last minute after Refugees Minister Hilary Onek and his Foreign Affairs counterpart Gen Jeje Odongo, both expected to speak on the matter, did not show up.

Hours later, and following frantic consultations between State House, diplomats and other top officials, the Foreign Affairs ministry sent out  statement saying “discussions on the issue are still ongoing." 

The government promised to give updates on the US request as the situation develops or when the final decision has been reached. 

The statement detailed that the Ugandan government was approached by Washington “to assist in the likely event of the need to temporarily host some Afghans and international citizens that may be evacuated.”

“And because of Uganda’s long-standing history and tradition of hosting refugees and other persons in need, the President expressed Uganda’s readiness to provide assistance including temporary hosting of some affected persons in the crisis,” it read in part.

Uganda is currently the third largest host of refugees globally and the top one in Africa. It has no direct diplomatic and bilateral relations with Afghanistan, with the country’s interests in Kabul handled through the diplomatic representation in Terhan, the capital of Iran, Afghanistan’s western neighbour.

Uganda/US relationship

Washington gives Uganda nearly $1 billion (Shs3.5trillion) each year, mainly for health and security support. In return, Museveni's regime has positioned itself as the anchor-man of stability in the volatile Great Lakes region, including running security errands, and more significantly, fighting al-Shabaab in Somalia and playing a diplomatic broker. 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Oryem Okello, told Daily Monitor that the deal to take in Afghan refugees is not yet finalised, adding that Kampala was approached alongside other African countries.

“They are not refugees; the US asked us on whether we could take them in temporarily as they are vetted possibly for relocation,” he said. 

“But before we could agree we asked them for certain information: under what terms and conditions? Who are they bringing in...are they former soldiers, prisoners, translators? And for how long are they staying here? Once we are sure of that then we can agree.”

In response to queries, the US embassy in Kampala said the United States continues to discuss with partners and allies options to relocate Afghans who supported the US government”.

“We deeply appreciate Uganda’s generous offer of assistance to host Afghanistan evacuees on a temporary basis. We have not yet made a final determination of assistance requirements in Uganda and discussions with the government of Uganda concerning the situation in Afghanistan, are ongoing,” a US embassy official noted.

Report by Frederic Musisi and Nobert Atukunda