Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 2018/02/15

Uganda has been described as a paradise for refugees with experts describing its policies as being one of the most liberal in the world.

The East African country is home to more than one million registered refugees and asylum seekers with most migrating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea.

Others originate from Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi, making it the country with the largest number of refugees hosted in Africa and the top ten in the world.

The UN Refugee Agency’s spokesperson Baabar Baloch told Radio Islam that the manner in which refugees have been welcomed in to Uganda is exemplary.

“Uganda’s generous policy’s has helped hundreds of thousands of refugees settle, even though Uganda might not be the richest country in the world.”

Baloch says the UNHCR noticed that the poorest of communities have the biggest hearts.

“As soon as you set foot on Ugandan soil, you are welcomed with open arms. The government tries to integrate you with whatever resources they have.”

According to Baloch, the government even provides refugees with shelter and a piece of land where they are able to build homes and cultivate the area.

Baloch adds that the sense of sharing responsibilities needs to filter through the Western world and that humanity cannot be mixed with politics.