This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
Published on July 6, 2020, a total of 133 Somali nationals were repatriated to Somalia after being stranded in Uganda for close to three months due to the suspension of flights in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to reports, the group is part of a total of 400 Somali nationals who have so far been evacuated by their government out of Uganda since the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Among the evacuees were students studying in various universities in Uganda, as well as visitors, tourists, and businesspeople who were stranded in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the Somali government, Somalia's Acting Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Ali Mohamed, expressed gratitude to the Ugandan authorities for allowing the team to travel despite the existing lockdown measures and ban on international passenger flights.
“All those leaving Uganda for Somalia have duly been checked and found to be negative for Covid-19,” Mr. Mohamed stated.
Mr. Mohamed also announced that the Somali Embassy in Kampala is registering citizens stranded in Uganda to enable them to travel home.
Among the evacuees was Ms. Nur Ali Abdi, an 80-year-old woman who had traveled to Uganda to seek medical attention.
