ugnet_: UGANDA IS IN ANARCHY AT BEST

[Mulindwa Edward]

Ugandans Top Asylum Seekers Badru D. Mulumba Kampala Ugandans have for the third year running topped East Africa in seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. A report from the UK Home Office shows that 730 Ugandans applied for asylum in the UK in 2002. This is almost twice the number of asylum seekers from Kenya (365) and 16 times the number from Tanzania (45). Ugandan asylum seekers almost doubled from 475 in 2001, although they were still fewer than 740 applicants in 2000. Asylum seekers from Kenya were up from 310 in 2001, although still below 455 in 2000. Only Tanzania witnessed a decline in asylum seekers from 80 applicants in 2001 and 60 applicants in 2000. UK Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett released the report on 28 February. The quarterly report shows that UK has already processed asylum applications for 660 Ugandans, and thrown out 505 of these. When one is denied asylum, one can appeal. One may also be relocated to a third country or flown back home. The UK government has granted refugee status to only 35 Ugandan applicants. Another 120 Ugandans were granted exceptional leave to stay in the UK, but not as refugees. From Kenya, out of 360 applications so far processed, 10 were granted refugee status and 45 were granted exceptional leave to stay in the UK. From Tanzania, out of 45 cases processed, five were granted refugee status and five given exceptional leave to stay in the UK. In Africa there are eight countries ahead of Uganda in numbers of asylum seekers in the UK. Zimbabwe leads the pack (7,695) followed by Somalia (6,680), DR Congo (2,315) and Angola (1,440). Eritrea (1,190), Sierra Leone (1,160), Nigeria (1125) and Algeria (1,080) follow them. The 28-page report says asylum seekers from Africa have been increasing from 17,920 in 2000 to 20,710 in 2001. It says there were 29,905 asylum seekers from Africa in 2002 out of a total figure of 85,865 applications worldwide.              The Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni Uganda is in Anarchy"              Le groupe de transmission de Mulindwas " avec Yoweri Museveni, Ouganda est dans anarchy "