Uganda has decided to host the Afghan refugees and international citizens fleeing the Asian country at the request of the United States, said the Ugandan Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
The United States reached out to Uganda to temporarily host some Afghans and international citizens who may be evacuated, the ministry said in a statement. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has approved the request and there are ongoing discussions, it said. The east African country will most likely host a total of 2,000 people, Esther Anyakun, minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, told Xinhua by telephone on Monday, adding that at least 500 refugees were expected on Tuesday. 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. Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa, or 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.
