Uganda's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune, on Wednesday held urgent consultations with Kagiso Mosoane, the Chargé d'Affaires at the South African High Commission in Uganda, over the escalating anti-migrant violence in South Africa that has displaced hundreds of foreign nationals, including Ugandans.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala, focused on the worsening attacks and threats targeting migrants, which have forced many Ugandans and other foreign nationals to flee the country.
During the meeting, Kasolo conveyed the Government of Uganda's deep concern over the violence directed at foreign nationals, including reports that two Ugandan citizens had recently been killed.
He urged the South African government to take decisive action to protect lives and prevent further attacks on Ugandan nationals.
The minister also called on South African authorities to assume full responsibility for ensuring the security of Ugandans and facilitating their safe movement to designated assembly centres for documentation and evacuation.
Kasolo further noted that although vigilante groups claim to be targeting undocumented migrants, the Ministry has received credible reports that even Ugandans who are legally living and working in South Africa have been subjected to intimidation and threats.
He stressed that determining an individual's immigration status is the responsibility of official law enforcement agencies and not non-state actors.
In response, Mosoane assured the Ugandan government that South African authorities had deployed security personnel across the country to facilitate the safe movement of foreign nationals seeking to leave South Africa.
The two officials also reaffirmed the importance of sustained bilateral engagement on issues of mutual concern, including structured consultations on the legal status, procedural safeguards, and possible release of Ugandan nationals detained in South Africa over alleged visa overstays and other immigration-related offences.
The meeting comes as Uganda continues implementing a government-funded voluntary repatriation programme for citizens wishing to return home from South Africa following the recent wave of anti-migrant violence.
