Govt to repatriate 500 Ugandans stranded in Cambodia

The government has unveiled plans to repatriate up to 500 Ugandans stranded in Cambodia after they fell victim to human trafficking syndicates that lured them with false employment promises.

The stranded group is part of a larger number of migrants from Africa and Asia who were trafficked to Southeast Asia and forced to work in illegal online scamming compounds. Many victims were abandoned after Cambodian authorities raided and closed the facilities.

Some of those stranded have reportedly spent more than a year in the country and have accumulated heavy financial penalties for illegal stay after losing their jobs and visas.

In an interview with local media, Henry Oryem Okello, the minister of state for foreign affairs, said the affected Ugandans ignored repeated government warnings against traveling to countries where Uganda has no bilateral labor agreements.

That is a group of Ugandans whom I have continuously warned, Oryem said. We rescued about 24 Ugandans a few months last year. We want Ugandans not to go to that region again; otherwise, they will be involved in a war which is not theirs. But these Ugandans don’t listen.

The minister added that the government is working through its embassy in Malaysia to secure the release of those who have been abducted. He cautioned that without formal labor arrangements, government intervention is extremely difficult once citizens encounter problems abroad.

Official estimates of the number of stranded individuals have risen sharply from initial reports of 21 victims to more than 500. Oryem noted that a definite figure is difficult to establish because victims are spread across different countries, including Thailand and Malaysia.

Derrick Kigenya Basalirwa, the deputy national coordinator for the prevention of trafficking in persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said organized criminal networks recruit victims through fake online job advertisements.

Most of them were promised jobs but ended up in scamming compounds in Cambodia, Basalirwa said. He explained that victims were forced to participate in cyber fraud schemes targeting people worldwide.

The situation worsened after Cambodian authorities shut down several scamming centers, leaving thousands of foreign workers without legal documentation. Basalirwa noted that traffickers usually confiscate travel documents, leaving victims unable to move freely or reach an airport.

Authorities revealed that most victims did not travel directly to Cambodia. Instead, they were routed through China, Thailand or Malaysia, often without knowing their final destination.

Many thought they were going to work in China, but on arrival they were told to proceed to Cambodia, sometimes using boats, Basalirwa said.

The government said it is coordinating diplomatic and security efforts to secure safe repatriation while renewing calls for job seekers to use only licensed recruitment agencies.