Photo credit: the Telegraph
The Dutch coalition government, headed by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party, is considering sending Africans whose asylum requests have been rejected to Uganda. However, opposition politicians have said the plan is impractical.
The Guardian reports that the Dutch minister for trade and development Reinette Klever, during a visit to Uganda this week, said the cabinet was exploring the idea, and that the East African country was “not averse” to it.
Although Klever offered few details, and it is suspect whether such a plan would be legal or feasible, but it is reported to involve rejected asylum seekers from Uganda and the surrounding region.
Klever’s ministry said she had briefly discussed several possibilities for accommodation in Uganda and the region during the visit. While the plan is in its initial stages, the Dutch cabinet is investigating its legal possibility and desirability.
Jeje Odongo, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister said the country was willing to contemplate the possibility.
But, on Thursday, Uganda’s state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem said, “I don’t think Uganda would agree to that. We don’t deport any refugees. Why do European countries deport refugees?”
While Wilders welcomed the plan on social media, other members of the country’s four-party coalition government were more hesitant because of Uganda’s draconian anti-gay legislation and patchy human rights record.
Opposition parties also decried the idea. Jesse Klaver of the Green Left party said it was an effort to distract people from the scant progress the government had made in tackling broader issues.
The leader of D66, Rob Jetten, said the idea was “totally unfeasible and ill-conceived.”
