Uganda: 42 Ugandans Evacuated From Iran Amid Escalating Conflict With Israel

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the successful evacuation of 42 Ugandans citizens and two diplomatic staff from Iran, as tensions soar following the outbreak of open hostilities between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel on June 13, 2025.

The group, comprising mostly university students, left Tehran by road and is expected to arrive in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday afternoon, where arrangements are being finalised for their onward travel to Uganda.

Margaret Awino Kafeero, the ministry’s head of public diplomacy, said the evacuees had endured an arduous journey lasting nearly four days and were granted temporary entry into Türkiye on the condition that the Government of Uganda would ensure that they depart within 10 days.

“We expect the evacuees to arrive by bus in Istanbul where they will get a bit of rest as their flight details are finalized,” Ms Kafeero said.

“They have been on the road from Tehran for almost four days. Exhausted as they are, they will need to keep moving.”

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Registration and coordination efforts continue to be undertaken for other Ugandan nationals still inside Iran, with the aim of safely guiding, supporting, and ensuring their safe exit and return to Uganda. In this regard, the relatives and anyone with information on Ugandans still trapped in the Islamic Republic of Iran should reach out to the following Officers, whose contact details have been provided;

The evacuations were orchestrated by the Ugandan Embassy in Tehran in coordination with the Emergency Evacuation Coordination Centre established in Turkey.

The centre, led by Charge d’Affaires Matata Twaha and supported by senior diplomatic staff, was set up shortly after the conflict escalated.

According to a statement from the Ministry, the Republic of Turkey agreed to grant visas on arrival to enable the emergency transit, following Uganda’s commitment to ensure the group would leave Turkish territory within the stipulated timeframe.

The group was received at the Bargarzan border crossing by Second Secretary Julius Malinga, embassy official Zainah Nabirye, and Mubarak Daka from Uganda’s Embassy in Ankara, before being placed on buses for the onward journey to Istanbul.

Efforts to locate and evacuate other Ugandans still inside Iran are ongoing, with officials urging families to report any known individuals who may be trapped.

The Ministry shared contact details for its officials coordinating the operation and called on the public to support tracing efforts.

The flare-up between Israel and Iran has triggered a wave of evacuations by several countries amid fears of further escalation in the region.

For Uganda, whose nationals in Iran include students and traders, the situation has raised urgent consular and logistical challenges.

Officials say the Emergency Evacuation Coordination Centre will remain operational until all Ugandan citizens are accounted for and repatriated.

By Nile Post.