Agency & BBC News
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will extend visas for foreign nationals who are stranded in the country due to the ongoing war in Iran, which has grounded flights in several Middle Eastern countries.
Speaking to journalists at the government-owned media center, Simon Peter Mundeyi, the spokesperson for Internal Affairs, said that foreign nationals currently in the country with expired visas should visit the migration office to extend their visas.
He also advised Ugandans and other travelers who had been cleared for departure to Middle Eastern countries to report to the Immigration Office to cancel their departure records, especially passengers who had boarded a Fly Dubai flight that was not allowed to land in Dubai and later returned to Entebbe.
Mundeyi explained that failure to cancel the records could affect their travel information during future trips.
He noted that the records would continue to show that the travellers left the country but never reached their destination, which could interfere with subsequent travel.
According to Mundeyi, between 3,000 and 4,000 people have been affected.
What countries are doing for stranded citizens
The UK is not the only country preparing to repatriate citizens stranded abroad. Here is what other counties have said about the situation:
Australia
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was in discussions with airlines to help the 115,000 Australians stranded in the Middle East, but that evacuations would be difficult while much of the region’s airspace remains closed.
France
A French government official said there were about 400,000 French nationals affected by the situation. Having urged travellers to register on the Foreign Ministry’s “Ariane” system, more than 25,000 have signed up, the official said.
Germany
The German government said the tourism industry was responsible for bringing home most of roughly 30,000 Germans stranded in the region and that military repatriation is only a last resort.
Italy
A first charter flight carrying 127 Italian citizens stranded in Oman, or moved there from Dubai, landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport late on Monday. Passengers arriving in Rome credited the Italian embassy with helping them return.
Spain
Spain has begun evacuating its citizens from the Middle East, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.
United States
The US Department of State on Monday called on Americans to immediately exit more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, but has not yet announced repatriation flights.
