Uganda Signs Deal with US to Take in Asylum Seekers in Exchange for Development Funds

Strategic Insights -

The US has signed an agreement with Uganda to deport an unspecified number of asylum seekers from third countries to Uganda. The deal, already signed by the ambassadors of the two countries at the end of July 2025, sets out the terms of the arrangements. In return for accepting these asylum seekers, Uganda will receive development funds and retain discretion on a case-by-case basis. This deal is the latest in a series of similar agreements between the US and African countries, with others having been reached with South Sudan, Eswatini, Ghana, and Rwanda.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US has signed an agreement with Uganda to deport an unspecified number of asylum seekers from third countries to Uganda in exchange for development funds.
  • The deal does not include people with a criminal background or unaccompanied minors, according to the official Ugandan statement.
  • Once in Uganda, each asylum seeker will go through individual refugee status determination processes.
  • This deal follows similar agreements between the US and other African countries, including South Sudan, Eswatini, Ghana, and Rwanda.
  • The US has offered development funds and improved trade benefits to countries willing to accept deportees, including Rwanda, which has long been willing to accept refugees from the US.
  • The deal may provide much-needed improvements in bilateral US-Ugandan relationship, which has been strained due to Uganda's anti-homosexuality laws and Trump's development funding cuts.
  • Uganda has a long history of refugee protection, hosting 1.8 million refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • However, the country has faced growing public apprehension about the government's open-door policy, and refugees have struggled with poverty, access to justice issues, and limited working and educational possibilities.

Statistics:

  • Uganda hosts 1.8 million refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • In August 2021, Uganda agreed to take on up to 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan on behalf of the US.
  • The agreement provides for the deportation of an unspecified number of asylum seekers from the US to Uganda.
  • The US has donated an estimated 66% of funding following cuts to the USAID development assistance programme in Uganda.
  • Uganda faces a higher tariff of 15% up from the previously announced 10% that affects the cost of its agricultural products in the US market.

Sources:

  • This article is based on information from Uganda's official government statement and a conversation with Arnold Bergstraesser Institute researcher, Franzisca Zanker.
  • The article also relies on information from various online news articles and human rights organizations.