Stephen Kyaterekera, the under Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Edule, the Charge D’Affairs at the Ugandan embassy in Tehran interface with MPs
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I A consulate in Iraq, aimed to serve over 20,000 Ugandan migrant laborers is urgently required, ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have disclosed.
Oscar Edule, the Charge A’Affaires at Uganda’s Embassy in Tehran said the thousands of Ugandans working in Iraq especially as security guards and domestic workers often encounter challenges requiring consular support which cannot be effectively provided from Tehran.
“Thousands of Ugandans continue to flock to Iraq, even without official clearance. They need consular support due to mistreatment and labour related issues, and in some cases, repatriation of dead Ugandans,” he said.
He noted that due to budget constraints, embassy officials are unable to travel to Baghdad and handle outstanding issues. He estimated that establishing the office, including rent, staffing and procurement of furniture and utility vehicles would cost up to Shs1 billion.
While meeting MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee today, Edule said that currently, Uganda’s mission in Tehran oversees diplomatic relations with ten countries including Iran, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Palestine.
MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee in a video conference with consular officials
He said that this is a large area for accreditation geographically and also in terms of mandate. He pointed out that they have been faced by cases where many Ugandan workers are unable to leave their jobs due to their passports being confiscated by their employers, leaving them stranded.
Edule further noted that establishing a diplomatic presence in Iraq would be a game changer especially when it comes to protecting the rights of Ugandans.
Iraq is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. The country covers an area of 438,317 square kilometres (169,235 sq mi) and has a population of over 46 million, making it the 58th largest country by area and the 31st most populous in the world. Baghdad, home to over 8 million people, is the capital city and the largest in Iraq.
Iraq also largely coincides with the ancient region of Mesopotamia, often called the “cradle of civilization,” and has a rich history spanning millennia, including the rise and fall of powerful empires and the development of early writing and societal structures.
