President Julius Nyerere came out in condemnation at the actions of Idi Amin and specifically on the issue of expulsion of Ugandan Asians with Ugandan citizenship.

The Guardian reported on the matter as follows:

“Nyerere hits out at Amin

Dar-es-Salaam, August 21

President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania today condemned President Amin’s decision to expel thousands of Asians who hold Ugandan citizenship. ‘This is clearly racialism and representative of the same thing that Africans are deploring’ he said.

He also hit out at Britain’s ‘savage’ treatment of Asians with British passports who have been given 90 days to leave Uganda.

When British citizens of English origin left Kenya at its independence in December 1963, Britain had made good arrangements, Dr Nyerere declared. Now it should treat the Asians from Uganda in the same way.

He said he could understand the expulsion of Asians who were British citizens. But it was impossible to agree with the decision to order out Asians who were Ugandan citizens. The move could easily result in a massacre of those left in the country after the deadline.

‘Either they are citizens or they are not and once they are, you are enjoined to accord them the same treatment that you accord all the others,’ he said.

Dr. Nyerere, who was speaking at the opening of an educational institute near here, emphasised that Tanzania would continue to respect all people in line with the ruling party’s principle that all people were equal.

But he added that countries bordering Uganda would not accept stateless Asians (the Government has already announced it will not permit them to settle in Tanzania).

In Kampala, President Amin rejected an appeal by Ugandan university student leaders to cancel the expulsion of those with Ugandan citizenship.

He told them that Asian Ugandan citizens had been in collusion with noncitizens to deliberately remove vital parts of radios, television sets, and cars they sold to Ugandan Africans. ‘They may even put acid in the clothes they are selling, and it will all be rotten inside,’ he said.

Amin said British newspapers were ‘very annoyed’ at his decision because the expulsion of Asians would cut off an important source of foreign exchange. Asians were sending money illegally to bank accounts in England, but after they had left Uganda they would no longer be able to do this.

In New Delhi, Foreign Ministry sources declared that India would certainly not accept any responsibility for Asians holding Ugandan citizenship, ‘India will not be a dumping ground for such people,’ they added.–Reuter and UPI.”

Source: ‘Nyerere hits out at Amin’, The Guardian, 22 August 1972