Uganda’s Telecom company targets South Sudan’s refugees, blocks their SIM cards – Rights group
MTN official presents prizes to wheelchair-bound winners after competitions (Photo: MTN)
Nov 24th, 2019 (SSNN)-One of the leading telecommunications companies, MTN Uganda has been accused of targeting South Sudanese refugees and Congolese SIM card subscribers by blocking their SIM accounts in unclear circumstances.
Ter Manyang Gatwech, Chairperson of Human Rights Defenders Working Group in Exile (HDR-EWG) and National Coordinator of Network of South Sudanese Civil Society Organizations in Uganda (NoSSCOU) strongly condemned the move initiated by MTN company and said he’s better placed to lead a petition against the Telecommunications company.
“It was around 9:00 pm when my MTN Sim card got blocked by MTN Company on directives from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC); the Sim card I have used for over ten years in Uganda. Some officials within UNHCR or OPM are busy scrambling for refugees funds and therefore, we have a record of Refugee Solidarity Summit that was held in 2017 here in Uganda.
The representative of the civil society group, Ter Manyang urged the Ugandan government to recognize that all human beings, regardless of their status, have the right to equal opportunities and equal rights under the law.
“The Ugandan government should know that, all refugees are entitled to equal rights like the host community (Ugandan citizens) and I believe that all refugees from all walks of life have brought about significant economic benefits, most importantly development in this country.”
Uganda is one of the largest refugee camps in East Africa and currently hosts Refugees from more 10 countries.
South Sudanese and Congolese refugees make up the two largest groups. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , as of August 2017 there were 1,355,764 formally registered refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda, of whom 1,196,874 were refugees and 38,891 were asylum seekers.
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