Uganda seizes passports of 3 Taiwanese nationals in suspected retaliation over Ebola travel ban

• Ugandan immigration officials withheld the passports of three Taiwanese nationals who arrived at Entebbe on Wednesday.

• Taiwan suspects the action could be linked to its June 2 suspension of visas and entry for Ugandans over Ebola.

• Uganda declared itself Ebola-free on July 28 after completing 42 days without a new infection.

• Growing frustration over continuing restrictions has prompted calls for Uganda to consider reciprocal measures, including suspending Emirates flights.

Ugandan immigration officials have withheld the passports of three Taiwanese nationals who arrived at Entebbe International Airport, in what Taiwan suspects could be retaliation for its continued Ebola-related restrictions on Ugandan travellers.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Thursday, August 13, 2026, that the three travellers arrived at Entebbe at about 3pm on Wednesday.

Ugandan immigration officers reportedly allowed the three into the country but declined to return their Taiwanese passports. 

The officers instead demanded Chinese passports on which they could place entry stamps, citing Uganda's adherence to the One China principle.

Taiwan said its representative office in Somaliland, which handles affairs involving Uganda, and the Taiwanese business community in Uganda had intervened to assist the travellers.

The latest incident follows two earlier cases in which Ugandan immigration officials withheld Taiwanese passports at Entebbe. One traveller was later denied entry and repatriated

Taiwanese authorities suspect the incidents could be connected to Taiwan's decision on June 2 to suspend visa issuance and entry for Ugandan nationals following the Ebola outbreak.

Yen Chia-liang, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, said on Tuesday that authorities could not rule out retaliation over the restrictions. 

He also said Uganda could have changed its approach towards Taiwanese passports because of its One China policy.

Uganda has not formally announced changes to its entry or visa requirements for Taiwanese nationals.

Taiwan has now advised its citizens to reconsider non-essential travel to Uganda while it seeks clarification from Kampala. 

The country also urged Uganda not to impose what it described as inappropriate restrictions for political reasons.

The dispute comes as frustration grows in Uganda over countries that have maintained Ebola-related restrictions despite the government declaring the country free of the disease.

Uganda officially declared the end of its 2026 Ebola outbreak on July 28 after completing the mandatory 42-day monitoring period without detecting a new case. The last confirmed Ugandan patient had been discharged on June 16.

Uganda however, has complained about blanket travel restrictions even before it was declared Ebola-free. 

During a June meeting involving Health ministry officials, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, diplomats and development partners, the government called for protection against what it described as “unwarranted blanket travel restrictions”.

The WHO has also opposed blanket restrictions as a means of controlling Ebola. During a visit to Uganda in June, Tedros said such measures do not work and instead backed targeted, evidence-based interventions.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has also pressed countries to reconsider restrictions against Uganda.

In July, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya wrote to US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr asking Washington to lift its restrictions, noting that Uganda had gone about a month without a new infection at the time.

Some restrictions nevertheless remain.

Canada continues to apply temporary Ebola measures affecting Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Its measures include immigration restrictions and health requirements for some travellers. They are scheduled to expire towards the end of August.

The United States has also maintained Ebola-related controls on people with recent travel history to Uganda, DR Congo and South Sudan.

The continued restrictions have triggered calls for Uganda to consider reciprocal measures against countries that continue to restrict Ugandans.

Tourism businessman Amos Wekesa recently called on the government to consider stopping Emirates flights to Entebbe while the United Arab Emirates maintains restrictions affecting Ugandan travellers.

Wekesa questioned why the Dubai-based airline should continue benefiting from the Ugandan market when Ugandans face restrictions travelling to the UAE. He argued that Uganda should consider suspending Emirates flights until the restrictions are lifted.

Taiwan said nearly 70 Taiwanese nationals live in Uganda, while about 35 Taiwanese-invested companies operate in the country.

The Ugandan government had not publicly responded to Taiwan's latest accusations by Thursday evening.