KAMPALA, Uganda — Officials in Uganda announced Tuesday they have arrested 231 foreign nationals during a multi-day operation investigating suspected human trafficking networks and illegal immigration schemes.
The arrests began Monday and focused on two main locations: a group of Nigerian nationals in Uganda’s northern region and a heavily secured residential compound in the capital city of Kampala where foreigners from multiple countries were living.
The Kampala facility housed 169 individuals from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Malaysia. The Ministry of Internal Affairs described the location as a tightly controlled residential complex with its own dining facilities and amenities specifically designed to limit residents’ freedom of movement. Among those found at the compound, 36 were women.
Government officials said they launched the operation based on intelligence reports indicating large numbers of foreign nationals were residing and working in Uganda without proper legal documentation. Many of those detained did not possess valid passports, according to ministry officials.
“Some individuals have claimed they were trafficked into Uganda with promises of employment,” the statement said. “Others were engaged in cyber-scamming activities. A few were found in possession of materials suggesting involvement in other criminal activities.”
Ministry spokesman Simon Peter Mundeyi explained to The Associated Press that the detained individuals fall into three distinct groups: people believed to be trafficking victims, suspected criminal operators, and those who simply exceeded their visa limits without engaging in illegal activities.
According to Mundeyi, trafficking victims and visa overstayers will receive assistance to purchase their own transportation out of Uganda, while suspected trafficking leaders will face criminal charges and potential deportation proceedings.
The East African nation is known for its open-door policy toward foreign visitors and refugees, currently providing sanctuary to hundreds of thousands of people escaping violence in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and South Sudan. Citizens from numerous African and other nations can enter Uganda for short stays without obtaining advance visas.
