Netherlands Considers Plan to Send Rejected African Illegal Migrants to Uganda

The Dutch government is considering sending Africans whose asylum applications have been rejected to Uganda. During a visit to the East African country this week, Dutch Minister of Trade and Development Reinette Kluwer said the cabinet was studying the idea and that Uganda was ‘not against’ it, Dutch public broadcaster Nos.

The plan would involve the resettlement of illegal immigrants in Uganda in exchange for financial compensation.

‘Ultimately, we want to curb migration,’ said Clover.

Her ministry said that during her visit, she briefly discussed a number of resettlement opportunities in Uganda and the region. The plan is still in its early stages as the Dutch cabinet investigates ‘what is legally possible and desirable,’ a spokesman said in an email.

Uganda's foreign minister said the country was ready to consider the possibility.

‘We are open to all discussions,’ Jeje Odongo told Nos.

On Thursday, however, another minister struck a firmer note.

Okello Oryem, Uganda's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, noted that his country has already sheltered 1.6 million refugees from Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since coming into office in July, the Dutch coalition government has focused considerable attention on restricting the granting of asylum to illegal migrants, promising to introduce the ‘toughest’ immigration policy in the country.

According to EU data, the Netherlands received two first asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants last year, which is in line with the EU average. Ten member states, including Greece, Germany and Spain, reported higher rates.

The news of the Dutch plan comes days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for the idea of ‘return centres’ outside the EU to be explored, citing an agreement between Italy and Albania as a possible model.

Italy has built two reception centres in Albania, which have just started operating. The country wants to accept migrants who have little chance of obtaining a residence permit.

In the UK, for years there was talk of sending migrants to Rwanda (a neighbouring country to Uganda), but the new Labour government abandoned this plan.

Recently, other European countries have also been actively working on plans to transfer illegal migrants to other countries.

For example, Germany wants to send Afghans to Uzbekistan, a neighbouring country of Afghanistan, in exchange for financial development assistance. Germany, in turn, has also promised to accept more Uzbek labour migrants.