By Tolit Ivan
The government, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), has suspended the admission of new asylum seekers from South Sudan following the rise in Ebola cases in the country.
As of June 14, 2026, Uganda had reported a cumulative total of 19 confirmed Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, including two confirmed deaths.
In a letter addressed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and districts bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Alex Kakooza, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, said that the National Taskforce has directed a temporary halt to the reception of new asylum seekers.
According to Kakooza, the 48 asylum seekers who had already entered Uganda through the Elegu border post in Amuru District have been placed under quarantine for 21 days for monitoring before they can be transferred to a refugee settlement camp.
Geoffrey Orsbon Oceng, the Amuru Resident District Commissioner and Chairperson of the District Ebola Taskforce, said the directive is already being implemented.
Pauline Irene Abina, the Refugee Desk Officer in Adjumani District in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) confirmed the presence of the asylum seekers at the Elegu Refugee Reception Center.
According to Abina, authorities found themselves in a dilemma after the June 12 directive was implemented while the asylum seekers were already at the reception center awaiting processing.
