Kampala Central Division MP, Hon. Muhammad Nsereko called on the gender ministry to repatriate Ugandans stuck in Lebanon following the escalation of the conflict with Israel.
“Just like other African labour migrants, Ugandans need immediate foreign service assistance to either be repatriated back or to a safe haven,” he said.
Nsereko added that the labour export companies are not supporting the Ugandans there, even after being responsible for their employment in Lebanon.
“When they refer to the companies, there are no answers except coercion. It is appalling. These are Ugandans and we owe them a duty of care,” he added.
It is estimated that between 175,000 to 200,000 foreign domestic workers are living in Lebanon, the majority are stranded in the on going war in the country.
Most of these workers take up low-paid jobs as live-in caregivers and send money to their families back home.
Israel, which has been waging a war on Gaza since October last year, escalated its attacks on Lebanon last month. Its military says the offensive is targeting facilities being used by the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
But with the onset of near-daily exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah across Lebanon’s southern border for the past year, embassies in Beirut became increasingly pressed with repatriation requests.
However, the response of African diplomats in Lebanon has been close to absent, according to domestic workers from African continent.