What will Uganda gain from our relative acceptance? | Human Rights News

Uganda is the latest in many countries that have a deportation agreement with the United States, as President Donald Trump has prepared controversial efforts to remove immigrants from the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Kampala was Agreed In order for Washington to send citizens of the third country who face deportation from the United States, but they are unwilling to return to their countries of origin. The ministry said that the agreement took place under certain circumstances.

Rights and law experts condemned Trump’s controversial plans to deport millions of illegal immigrants. It includes those who have already been deported Called criminals And “unique barbaric monsters”, according to the White House.

African countries, such as Swatini, previously known as Swaziland, accepted similar deals, in exchange for low tariffs. The actions of the United States are exploitative and engine to treat the continent as “Land dumping“Washington was especially focused on countries with weak human rights protection.

Here is what you need to know about the Uganda deal and what countries you may get in exchange for hosting us.

What did Uganda agree?

In a statement published on Thursday, on Thursday, Bajier Vincent Weswa, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uganda, said the country had agreed to a “temporary arrangement” with the United States. He did not mention the time schedules of the date of the start of the deportation or end.

There are warnings related to the people who will be transferred, the statement, including that Uganda will not accept people who have criminal records or unaccompanied minors, and that he “prefers” the transfer of Africans as part of the deal.

The statement added: “The two parties clarify the detailed methods on how to implement the agreement.”

A statement by the US State Department confirmed that Ugandan President Yurei Museveni and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had discussions about the phone regarding “migration, mutual trade and trade relations.”

The announcement of the deal came weeks after speculation in the local Ugandan media regarding whether the Eastern Eastern state will accept the deportees for us.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Henry Odelo Oureim denied media reports, saying that Uganda did not have the facilities to accommodate the deportees.

Speaking to the Associated Press News, Orem said that Uganda was discussing issues of “visas, definitions, sanctions and relevant issues” with the United States, but not to immigration.

“We are talking about the cartals: unwanted people in their countries. How can we integrate them into local communities in Uganda?” He told AP.

A day later, Uganda’s novel was reversed.

What can Uganda gain from this?

On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement did not mention what Uganda might get in return.

According to what was accepted, other countries, including Swatini, accepted the deportees in exchange for low tariffs.

Uganda has been subjected to 15 percent of the customs tariffs on the goods entering the United States, as part of Trump’s mutual tariff wars. Senior government officials in early August told the local media that the definitions will disrupt Ugandan exports, especially in the agricultural sector, and that Kampala will enter negotiations to obtain a better deal.

Coffee, vanilla, cocoa pills and petroleum products are some of Uganda’s main exports to the United States. Kampala is particularly keen to enhance coffee exports to the United States and compete with senior suppliers such as Colombia. The United States, on the other hand, exports machines, such as aircraft parts, to Uganda, which imposes a 18 percent tariff on imported products.

The United States and Uganda historically have friendly relations, as the United States has routinely sent aid to Kampala. However, after Uganda has passed a draft law to combat homosexuality in 2023, lean relations turned, and the United States accused Uganda of “human rights violations.” The law prohibits the punishment, including lifelong provisions, for relations of the same sex.

Washington then reduced aid financing for HIV and issued visa restrictions to Ugandan government officials “complicit in undermining the democratic process.” The United States has also banned Uganda from the African Growth and Opportunities Law (Amen), a commercial program that helped African countries trade the tariff with the United States, but Trump’s tariff has already been killed.

In addition, the World Bank has banned Uganda from its loans for two years, although the restriction was raised in June.

Rights activists say that the deal related to traffic can make the American administration tend more positively towards Uganda, but at the expense of those who have been deported.

“The proposed deal is inconsistent with international law,” Human Rights Lawyer, Nicholas Out Obio, told AP. He added that such an arrangement leaves the legal status of the pans unclear whether they are refugees or prisoners.

“We sacrifice human beings for political utilitarianism, in this case, because Uganda wants to be in the good books of the United States. I can keep your prisoners if you pay me; how does this differ from human trafficking?”.

Do Uganda already host refugees?

Yes, Uganda is the largest refugee host country in Africa. It already hosts about 1.7 million refugees, to a large extent from South Sudan, the neighboring Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all of which deal with armed conflict and turmoil.

In the past, the United Nations praised the country as a “policy of progressive refugees” and “maintaining an open approach to asylum.”

However, opposition activists express the alarm about the registry of the government of human rights. Uganda has been sentenced by Mosafini since 1986, with his party beat the disputed elections in the landslides. Opposition members and journalists are often targeted in arrests. Some reports were tortured in detention.

Speaking to the AP, the opposition deputy illegal, Nakaninji, said that the American deal could give the government of the Mosafini more Western legitimacy before the general elections to be held in January 2026.

The deal was shocked “to clarify their image now after we went to the 2026 elections.” He urged the United States not to ignore what he described as human rights issues in Uganda.

What other countries have the United States sent to people?

Swatini, Rwanda and South Sudan have concluded similar agreements with the United States.

Before Eswatini, in July, five unveiled men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen.

Tricia McLeulin, Minister of Internal Security, described them as “so very barbaric individuals that their countries of origin refused to restore them.” She added that they were convicted of crimes ranging from children to killing, and they faced up to 25 years in prison. Men are currently being held in detention facilities and will be returned to their countries, according to officials who have not mentioned a schedule.

Activists accuse the Aswini government of engaging in the deal in exchange for low definitions from the United States. The small country, which exports clothes, fruits, nuts and raw sugar for the United States, was a 10 percent tariff.

“No country should be involved in violating international human rights laws, including violating its local laws, to satisfy the global north in the name of trade,” said Simullan of Slex, who leads a continuous judicial case in the decision of the Aswini government. He said that this step was against the country’s constitution, which imposes that international agreements are going through parliament.

“What we want, in its essence, is that the agreement is published for public scrutiny, and the public may understand (if) that it is already in line with our national interest.” “We also want to announce the unconstitutional agreement because it lacks parliamentary approval.”

South Africa, which borders a three aspect of mysmen, summoned diplomats in the youngest country earlier in August to increase security concerns about the arrangement.

Likewise, the United States sent eight “barbaric” criminals South Sudan In July. The Ministry of National Security included them as from Cuba, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan. The Ministry of Internal Security said they were convicted of crimes such as first -class killing, theft, drug trafficking and sexual assault.

Men were initially transferred to Djibouti for several months pending the legal challenge in the United States. However, in late June, the US Supreme Court agreed to move to southern Sudan.

Rwanda also confirmed that it will take 250 phases from the United States no longer not named. According to government spokesperson, Ywlandi McCulo, the fun will enjoy “training of workforce, health care and accommodation.” In the past, the country concluded a controversial immigrant deal for a fee with the United Kingdom. This deal, however, She fell When the new labor government was elected in the United Kingdom in 2024.

Outside Africa, El Salvador took 300 immigrants, especially from Venezuela, for a fee of $ 6 million.

Costa Rica accepted 200 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, China, Ghana, India and Vietnam. While many country were returned, there were about 28 people who were still being held by June. It is not clear what the United States provided in return.

Nearly 300 people from countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and China were sent to Panama in February.