Refugees are welfare-enhancing assets

Oct 06, 2021 Irene Lamunu Leading Opinions 0

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By Julius Caesar Rugaya
Lawyer and socio-political analyst

Shortly after the fall of the Afghanistan government of Hamid Karzai to the Taliban on 15th August 2021, there were widespread reports that over 2,000 refugees from the country were to be brought to Uganda upon the request of the US President, Joe Biden. What started as a rumour became a reality ten days later when the first batch of the refugees landed at Entebbe International Airport aboard a chartered flight. Government has since acknowledged their arrival, while insisting that they are not refugees but rather evacuees, whose stay in the country is temporary, as preparations are made for their eventual transfer to America. Uganda is respected globally as one of the countries that have a progressive refugee policy. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Uganda hosts around 1.5 million refugees. As of August 31st 2021, there were 925,000 refugees from South Sudan, 435,000 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 51,000 from Burundi, among other countries. And according to the InterNations report, 57% of expats in Uganda gave ‘general friendliness’ which was the best possible rating (the global average was 26%). With such global recognition, it was rather shocking that a few people could find a problem with our open door policy to refugees or anyone who wants to visit Uganda. In fact, why did the imminent and subsequent arrival of the Afghanistan evacuees raise eyebrows especially on social media? There are two reasons. One is that there are widespread allegations that refugees are treated better than the local population in Uganda. Secondly, and most likely, a result of the former, there has been a lot of disharmony between refugees and host communities. For example, last year, security forces were deployed in the West Nile region following deadly attacks on refugees by local people. More than 10 South Sudanese refugees were killed and 19 others seriously wounded in clashes at a water point in Madi-Okollo district. Fifteen homes were burnt to the ground while others were looted and vandalised. The violence erupted in response to an alleged attack on an 18-yearold Ugandan cattle herder, which locals blamed on the refugees. The other reason which is exclusive of the first two is that many Ugandans are not aware of what it means to be a refugee or the obligations that States have under International Humanitarian Law to keep their borders open for anyone running away from armed conflict. With most young Ugandans on social media having not experienced war and coupled with the other problems already highlighted, it is no wonder then that they chose to make jokes out of the unfortunate situation of the Afghanistan refugees and expressed displeasure at something that was not the victims’ fault. In making a case for our plan to host the Afghanistan refugees or any other refugees for that matter, it is imperative to understand that for all intents and purposes, refugees should not be looked at as a burden. Rather, they are welfare-enhancing assets. Ensuring their protection gives them the necessary stability they need to make a meaningful contribution to the host communities and the rest of the country. Allowing them opportunities to work enables them to contribute to the host country’s resource package, through boosting the skilled labour force as well as paying taxes. Therefore, it is not all doom and gloom to host refugees in our country. Though, there may be a few skirmishes here and there, a refugee should not be looked at as a foreigner – as not ‘one of us.” We therefore ought to do better as Scripture reminds us that; “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

“In making a case for our plan to host the Afghanistan refugees or any other refugees for that matter, it is imperative to understand that for all intents and purposes, refugees should not be looked at as a burden.”

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