Uganda Receives 51 Evacuees From Afghanistan

The Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that the country took in 51 evacuees from Afghanistan on Wednesday.

"The Government of the Republic of Uganda this morning received Fifty One (51) evacuees from Afghanistan who arrived aboard a privately chartered flight at the Entebbe International Airport," the ministry said in a press release.

The East African nation took in the evacuees at the US request to "temporarily host" at-risk Afghans and people of other nationalities who are in transit to America and other countries.

"The Evacuees who included men, women and children underwent the necessary security screening as well as the mandatory COVID-19 testing and the required quarantine procedures," the statement read.

Ugandans scheduled to depart aboard this aircraft were unable to do that due to difficulties with gaining entrance to Kabul's airport, so arrangements are being made to fly them aboard another plane, the ministry added.

Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting nation in Africa and the fourth globally, with approximately 1.4 million refugees.

On August 15, the Taliban (designated terrorist by the UN and Russia) entered Kabul, causing the civilian government to collapse. As a result, many countries have started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from the beleaguered nation due to the precarious security situation, and some have pledged to take in a number of Afghan asylum seekers. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )