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Uganda to host more than 2,000 Afghan refugees – Official

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3 years ago

August 17, 2021

Olu Emmanuel

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At least 500 refugees fleeing Afghanistan are scheduled to arrive in Kampala on Tuesday, a government official said.

Esther Anyakun, minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, told Xinhua by telephone that more refugees are expected into the east African country.

“Most likely a total of 2,000 but tonight 500 are coming,” she said without disclosing details.

Hundreds of Afghans are fleeing the country after the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, and took control of the presidential palace Sunday.

This will not be the first time Uganda is hosting refugees from outside Africa.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, Uganda received 7,000 Polish refugees during World War II.

Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa, more than 1.45 million, mostly from South Sudan, but also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, according to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.