Uganda to Evacuate Citizens from South Africa

The Ugandan government has announced plans to evacuate hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following escalating anti-migrant violence and xenophobic protests targeting foreign nationals.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Uganda’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, said President Yoweri Museveni had directed that immediate arrangements be made to bring home Ugandan nationals affected by the unrest, adding that the evacuation is expected to begin within the next few days.

According to Kasolo, the evacuation exercise is being coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Uganda High Commission in South Africa and leaders of the Ugandan community in South Africa.

The acting minister said 746 Ugandan nationals have voluntarily registered for evacuation due to growing security concerns, with more expected to sign up.

He added that many Ugandans had already left South Africa on their own following the June 30, 2026, deadline reportedly issued by anti-migrant groups in the country.

Other African governments, including Ghana and Nigeria, had evacuated their citizens from South Africa under the prevailing circumstances.

Kasolo said the evacuation process will involve registering affected Ugandans across South Africa’s provinces, transporting them to designated safe assembly centres, issuing emergency travel documents where required and coordinating with immigration authorities to facilitate their departure.

In partnership with the Ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda Airlines will operate special charter flights for evacuation, with costs fully covered by the Ugandan government.

Uganda said it is continuing diplomatic engagement with the South African government to ensure the protection of Ugandan nationals who remain in the country.

The government also confirmed that one Ugandan national had been killed during an attack in KwaZulu-Natal Province.

𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐂𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀 pic.twitter.com/qJGST2ZHbY

— Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) June 28, 2026