Netherlands and Uganda Sign Deal for Asylum Transit Hub
The Netherlands and Uganda agreed to establish a transit hub in Uganda for rejected asylum seekers awaiting deportation to their home countries.
The caretaker government of the Netherlands and the government of Uganda signed an agreement on Thursday to establish a transit hub in Uganda for rejected asylum seekers. Signed by Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel and Ugandan Foreign Minister Odongo Jeje Abubakar during the UN General Assembly in New York, the deal allows individuals whose asylum claims were refused in the Netherlands to be sent to Uganda before being deported to their countries of origin.
David van Weel stated that the protection of human rights is primary for those returning via Uganda. The initiative, originally proposed by the far-right Freedom Party, will begin as a small-scale trial with a limited number of refugees. Prime Minister Dick Schoof described the return hub plan as "innovative."
The agreement comes amid significant political pressure on the Dutch government to show results on migration ahead of the October 29 elections. However, critics and researchers have raised concerns regarding poor living conditions and political repression in Uganda.
