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Uganda, United States Sign Agreement on Handling Migration and Protection Requests
The Government of Uganda has announced the conclusion of an Agreement on migration cooperation with the United States, focusing on the management of protection requests for third-country nationals.
The agreement, signed as part of ongoing bilateral cooperation, provides a framework under which Uganda will temporarily host certain individuals who may not be granted asylum in the United States but are unwilling or unable to return to their countries of origin.
According to the statement issued by Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, Permanent Secretary, the arrangement is guided by specific conditions. Individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted under the program, while preference will be given to persons originating from African countries.
“This is a temporary arrangement with conditions including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted. Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries shall be the ones transferred to Uganda,” the statement reads in part.
The government clarified that this is not an open-ended policy but a carefully negotiated cooperation framework aimed at strengthening international collaboration on migration issues while safeguarding Uganda’s national interests and security.
Officials from both countries are currently working out detailed modalities to ensure the smooth implementation of the agreement, including vetting mechanisms, hosting arrangements, and timelines for processing transferred individuals.
The agreement reflects Uganda’s longstanding reputation as a leading host nation for refugees, with the country currently sheltering more than 1.6 million displaced persons, primarily from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia.
Uganda maintains that the new arrangement with the U.S. will not compromise its humanitarian commitments but rather reinforce global responsibility-sharing in addressing complex migration challenges.
Further updates on the operational framework are expected once the technical teams from both governments finalise implementation guidelines.
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