Uganda Evacuates Nationals from Iran with Türkiye’s Assistance

Uganda has thanked Türkiye for granting transit visas to its nationals evacuated from Iran amid rising Middle East tensions. Dozens of Ugandan students were bused from Tehran to the Türkiye-Iran border and then to Istanbul before flying to Kampala. The evacuation was coordinated by Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and military. Other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, are also working to evacuate citizens, facing challenges from suspended flights and closed airspace, while concerns grow over the conflict’s impact on regional economies.

Uganda has officially expressed its heartfelt gratitude to Türkiye for granting transit visas to its nationals who were evacuated from Iran amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East. The group of evacuees, primarily made up of students, was transported by bus to the Turkish city of Istanbul on Wednesday, where they are scheduled to catch onward flights to Kampala, according to the Ugandan authorities. The operation was coordinated jointly by the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country's military, demonstrating a collaborative effort to ensure the safe return of its citizens.
Ugandan military spokesperson Chris Magezi provided further details on the evacuation process through a post on social media. He explained that the students were carefully organized and moved from Tehran on buses over a grueling 24-hour journey to reach the Gurbulak border post along the Türkiye-Iran border. “We extend our sincere thanks to the Turkish government for granting them transit visas,” Magezi said. He added that after crossing the border, the students were transported on an additional 18-hour bus journey to Istanbul, reflecting the complexity and scale of the evacuation effort.
The dozens of Ugandan evacuees are expected to arrive safely in Kampala on Thursday, concluding a challenging but well-coordinated operation. Uganda’s evacuation effort comes amid growing regional instability following last week’s joint military strikes on Iran carried out by the United States and Israel. These strikes have sparked retaliatory attacks by Tehran on U.S. and Israeli interests in the region, heightening security concerns for foreign nationals living in or visiting the area.
Other African countries have also been making urgent efforts to evacuate their citizens from the Middle East and have issued travel advisories for those remaining in the region. Sierra Leone, for instance, successfully evacuated 24 of its nationals, including students and embassy staff, from Iran to neighboring Armenia, with the operation organized by the country’s mission in Tehran. Meanwhile, Kenya, which estimates that about 400,000 of its citizens reside and work across the Middle East and Gulf states, has urged its nationals to remain vigilant and to carefully monitor official communications from host governments regarding travel and safety updates. Kenya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, emphasized the importance of staying informed about developments that may affect their safety.
Ghana has activated emergency protocols at its diplomatic missions in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel, describing the measures as part of a large-scale consular emergency response aimed at ensuring the welfare of its citizens in the region. Despite these coordinated efforts, evacuations remain challenging due to logistical constraints, including the suspension of flights and the closure of airspaces across affected countries. South Africa, for example, reports that all its known citizens in the impacted countries have been accounted for, but the process of evacuation is being complicated by limited access to safe transport and operational air routes.
In addition to immediate safety concerns, there are growing apprehensions about the broader impact of the escalating conflict on regional and global economies, which directly or indirectly affects African countries with economic, trade, and labor ties to the Middle East. Governments across the continent are closely monitoring the situation, working to safeguard their citizens while preparing contingency plans to mitigate potential economic disruptions resulting from the ongoing tensions in the region.