The Uganda government has assured that the entire contingent of Ugandans working as security guards in Iraq is not involved in any combat operations and as such no injuries or fatalities have been registered arising out of the protests at the US Embassy in Baghdad.
Frank Mugabi the Communications Officer in Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development says the government response released this morning is in the wake of growing concern over the safety of Ugandans working as security guards in Iraq in the wake of violent protests that broke out at the US Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Stories related to the incident have been carried by Ugandan media and this has not only worried Ugandans with relatives in Iraq but also calls for an official clarification.
The ministry says as a lead agency in the externalisation of labour, it is in touch with officials of SOC-USA; the company that employs the Ugandan guards and the company has assured that all the guards are safe.
The ministry has assured that they are in constant contact with the company for any developments.
Statistics from the ministry indicate that about 700 Ugandans are deployed in Iraq as security guards.
These Ugandan guards are the first line of defence of the embassy because they manage towers, entry points to the embassy, check all the visitors and also guard an airstrip inside the embassy premises.
CN/abj/APA