By Hellen Barbra Gizamba
Unfair Ebola travel restrictions have forced Uganda’s Rugby Cranes 7s out of the 2026 Rugby Africa Mauritius Sevens, despite the country reporting no local community spread of the disease.
Uganda Rugby confirmed that the national sevens side will not take part in the tournament after Mauritius temporarily barred foreign nationals travelling from, transiting through, or who have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan within the last 21 days.
The decision is a major blow to Uganda, which was expected to use the Mauritius Sevens in its push for HSBC Division 3 qualification.
Uganda Rugby President Godwin Arinaitwe Kayangwe said Rugby Africa, the Rugby Committee and Uganda Rugby are now engaging to explore possible options for qualification.
The restrictions come at a time when Uganda has handled the Ebola situation with open reporting and strict public health measures. The country has recorded 19 laboratory-confirmed cases, most of them imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak originated.
Health authorities have said the cases reported in Uganda involved Congolese nationals who entered the country for medical care, not local spread within Ugandan communities.
Uganda has also suspended flights and border crossings with the DRC as a precaution to limit further risk.
The World Health Organization has criticised travel restrictions imposed on Uganda. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said such measures are unnecessary and harmful, noting that Uganda has reported cases transparently and taken appropriate action.
Countries including the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates have also imposed travel restrictions linked to Uganda’s Ebola situation.
