Uganda, US Reach Deal on Migrant Deportations

By Ollus Ndomu

Uganda has reached an agreement with the United States to receive certain deported migrants under strict conditions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this week.

In a statement, the ministry said the arrangement only applies to deportees with no criminal records and excludes unaccompanied minors. “The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented,” the statement noted.

Uganda also emphasized that it would prefer to accept deportees of African origin, framing the deal as part of its broader role in hosting displaced persons on the continent.

The move comes after the US deported five men with criminal records to Eswatini and eight others to South Sudan in July. Unlike those cases, Kampala’s conditions suggest Uganda is seeking to avoid taking in individuals deemed a security risk.

The agreement underlines both Uganda’s long-standing openness to refugees and the growing complexity of U.S. migration policy in Africa.