Emotional reunions unfolded at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport as 43 students evacuated from conflict-ridden Iran returned home safely. The evacuation followed coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets on Saturday, which triggered retaliatory attacks by Iran against Israeli and U.S. allies throughout the Gulf region, creating widespread disruption across the Middle East.
Uganda’s diplomatic mission in Tehran orchestrated the complex evacuation operation, arranging for students to travel by bus to the Turkish border before continuing to Istanbul for their flight home. The returning students provided harrowing accounts of their experiences during the bombardment. Oscar Nyegyema described to AFP the terrifying moments of the attacks: “We could hear the ground trembling, we could hear the ground shake. We really did not know whether we could make it out.”
Nyegyema revealed that his university had been directly hit by an airstrike, leaving students “scared and devastated.” Despite the trauma, he expressed determination to return and complete his academic program as soon as conditions permit. Not all Ugandan students chose evacuation, however. According to Ugandan State Minister Balaam Barugahara, eight students voluntarily remained behind despite government offers of repatriation.
Aloisius Ssegawa, one of the evacuated students, explained the financial concerns motivating those who stayed: “The truth is for these students, they believe that if they return home, the two years spent in their four-year degree study may go to waste because they may not be able to afford the ticket back to the university.”
The personal costs of the conflict varied significantly among students. Jonan Gumushabe told Reuters he was merely days away from completing his degree when forced to evacuate. Sharon Twiine, who had been studying international relations at Ahlul Bayt International University in Tehran, described the experience as “scary, traumatizing” and indicated she would require psychological therapy before considering a return to her studies.