Breaking: Details of US deportees to Uganda revealed
KAMPALA — New details have emerged about eight individuals recently transferred from the United States to Uganda under a bilateral migration arrangement, including their identities, nationalities and travel routes.
The eight, all classified as asylum seekers, arrived at Entebbe International Airport on April 2, 2026. They have been identified as Loriana M. Mbongo (Angola), Saleck Breik (Mauritania), Ibrahim Doucoure (Mali), Gharabi Ahmed Moulay (Mauritania), Aron Muruts (Ethiopia), Latifou Tchassanti (Togo), Diallo Thierno M. (Guinea), and Ibrahima War (Mauritania).
Records show that most of the individuals traveled aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 334, while others arrived via different connections. Their documentation included temporary permits and non-standard passports issued by U.S. authorities, pointing to special immigration handling procedures tied to their transfer.
The development follows a formal agreement signed in July 2025 between Uganda and the United States, allowing Kampala to host third-country nationals—individuals who are neither Ugandan nor American but of African origin—whose asylum applications in the U.S. may not have succeeded and who are unwilling or unable to return to their countries of origin.
According to a government press statement issued on April 3, 2026, the arrangement falls under a Safe Third Country Agreement and complies with Uganda’s national laws as well as international obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution, torture or inhuman treatment.
The statement confirmed that the eight individuals had their cases reviewed and approved by a U.S. immigration judge prior to their transfer, and that Uganda will now handle their protection requests. Authorities emphasized that, due to privacy considerations, such details are ordinarily not meant to be publicly disclosed.
Uganda has defended the agreement as part of its longstanding commitment to offering sanctuary to people in need, positioning itself as a safe destination for vulnerable migrants.
However, the move has sparked criticism from the Uganda Law Society, which has described the process as undignified, harrowing and dehumanising. The body has since taken legal action challenging the arrangement, arguing that it may be serving undisclosed private interests.
The transfer places Uganda among a small but growing number of countries, including Rwanda and South Sudan, that have entered similar arrangements to receive deportees from Western nations.
The development is expected to intensify public debate over Uganda’s role in global migration management and the transparency of such bilateral agreements.
