By Kauki Sulaiman
Parents and friends of 43 students from Ahlul Bayt International University in Tehran, Iran, can now breathe a sigh of relief after they landed home Thursday evening.
As the war between the joint Iran/Israel forces and Iran intensifies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), repatriated the first batch of Ugandan students who were caught in the crossfire of the ongoing bombardment. Government records from Xplore Travel Services show that the students departed Istanbul Airport on Thursday at 7:35 am, landed at Bole Airport in Addis Ababa at 3:45 pm, and touched down at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda at 5:45 pm. Their safe arrival marked the end of the first rescue mission, a journey that demanded courage and endurance.
The group was received at Entebbe International Airport by State Minister for Gender, Labour, and Social Development, Mr Balaam Barugahara, alongside officials from UPDF, State House, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While addressing the media after the group’s arrival, Minister Barugahara revealed that the students numbered 51 in total, but eight chose to remain in Iran. “When the war broke out, our ambassador in Iran, Twaha Matata, reached out to the President through the foreign affairs minister. They were about 51 in one university, but eight decided to remain behind, willingly. The President approved the return of the 43 who were willing,” he said. Mr Barugahara further noted that government is working to evacuate a second batch of 53 students currently stranded at another university in Iran, which he declined to name. Ms Sarah Mayanja, a second year student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering, said although the journey was long and exhausting, they arrived unscathed.
“We approached the Ambassador Twaha Matata who got in touch with the embassy in Ankara and the Foreign Affairs ministry to evacuate us. We traveled by bus for about 14 hours from Tehran to the Turkey border. We were scared but we kept in touch with the ambassador who kept encouraging and promising us that things would be well. We soon reached the Turkey border where we found embassy officials,” she said. Mr Isaac Nimwesiga, the chairman of Ugandans in Iran, expressed gratitude despite the ordeal.
“We had to set off for Istanbul. It was also a lengthy journey, but we managed to reach there. It took around 15 hours, but later we were received in a hotel, guided by Major General Bob Ojok, and with the help of the embassy in Turkey, we had a comfortable stay. Today, we left Turkey for Uganda,” he said. Some students, however, appealed to government to provide provisional study opportunities in Ugandan universities, especially for those nearing completion of their courses, rather than returning to Tehran after the war. Mr Barugahara assured that government would make provisions for all students to be flown back to Iran to complete their studies once the war subsides.