14 Ugandans Evacuated From Afghanistan.

The Department of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the evacuation of 14 Ugandan Nationals from Afghanistan and affirmed its commitment to assist more who wish to return home.

This has been revealed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire who recently welcomed one more Ugandan evacuated from Afghanistan.

The evacuee, Stephen Wamala is a Ugandan National who was evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan and was working with an Afghan Wireless Communication Company as a heavy equipment Engineer.

Wamala was evacuated by the US Government at the request of the Government of Uganda to an Air-force base in Berlin, Germany.

 “He travelled back to Uganda on Friday 3rd September 2021 aboard an SN Brussels flight from Frankfurt to Entebbe. His travel expenses and related costs were met by the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Berlin – Germany,” Bagiire said on Monday.

Out of his experience in Kabul during the unrest and takeover, Wamala thanked both Governments of Uganda and the United States of America for all the assistance accorded to safely evacuate him from Kabul, Afghanistan to Berlin, Germany.

He was reportedly healthy and safe at arrival, and was ready to proceed to his home in the western district of Kitagwenda. Wamala joins other thirteen (13) Ugandans who had been evacuated earlier.

Last week on Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Jeje Odongo told the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee that despite Uganda’s efforts to evacuate her nationals in Afghanistan, some of them refused to leave the country.

“They simply say we are okay, we don’t want to leave. The evacuation of Ugandans is done voluntarily, we aren’t forcing anyone to leave Afghanistan,” said Odongo.

Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Gender, some of the Ugandans were evacuated in April 2020 during the COVID-19 global lockdown, and it is not clear how many remained.