Most Ugandans work in Afghanistan as guards
As scenes of panic and scamper for the quickest evacuation means continue to unfold at Kabul International Airport following total capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the Government has asked Ugandans stuck in the country to register for possible evacuation.
According to the state minister for foreign affairs, Henry Okello-Oryem, the biggest challenge that might affect the possible evacuation Ugandans is the fact that many are not officially registered with the proper immigration channels.
“However, the problem is not of our making. We have no knowledge officially of Ugandans working in Afghanistan. How many are they? Who are they? Where in Afghanistan are they? This is the challenge I always face in such situations, because Ugandans always refuse to register their presence in countries where they are working,” he said, noting that those who want to be helped should reach out to nearby consulates and embassies and also organise themselves for proper management of the evacuation process.
At the peak of the first COVID-19 wave in 2020, over 100 Ugandans that were stuck in Afghanistan pleaded with the Government to evacuate them.
Out of the 137 that asked to be airlifted, 91 were evacuated in June 2020.
Most Ugandans work in Afghanistan as guards. The majority of the over 300 Ugandan guards have been man watching towers and providing security services at entry points of a US base in Jalalabad in the eastern part of Afghanistan.
Some of these Ugandans working as guards in Afghanistan were recruited by Watertight Security Services 12 years ago.
Uganda has no physical embassy in Afghanistan. This means that her citizens residing there can only access visa services at consulates in the neighbouring countries.
On Monday, Taliban forces said the war in Afghanistan was over following the capture of Kabul and the fleeing of President Ashraf Ghani out of the country.
The Taliban takeover has forced hundreds of desperate people to flock Kabul airport, seeking to flee the country.
“Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, told international media as Taliban forces entered the Afghan presidential palace.
US and British troops and other nationals have also been evacuated as Afghans and other people plead for the US to evacuate them too.
Journalists described the scene at Kabul airport as “chaotic” as out-of-control crowds raced to jump on airplanes that the US sent to evacuate its citizens and troops.
On Monday, the commander of land forces, Lt Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said on his official twitter page: “The British were right when they called Afghanistan ‘The Graveyard of Empires’. After a 20-year struggle, the Taliban has taken control of the country.”
Those who want to be helped should reach out to nearby consulates and embassies.
