Kampala, Uganda | URN | The government has announced that 21 Ugandans who were trafficked to Myanmar and held in forced labour camps operated by international criminal syndicates are expected to return home next week, following months of captivity.
Government Spokesperson Allan Kasujja says that the 21 Ugandans were lured to Myanmar with false promises of lucrative employment. In one case, a victim believed he was travelling to China for a job after being persuaded by a relative, only to find himself trapped in a Myanmar compound that officials have described as a modern-day slave camp.
Kasujja says that negotiations between the Ugandan and Myanmar governments are nearing completion, and afterwards, the victims are expected to be handed over to Uganda’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Betty Bigombe, in Yangon before their repatriation.
One of the victims, Felix Adupe, was released by Myanmar authorities on Thursday and handed over to Edan, a non-governmental organisation providing medical care and safe custody, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Adonia Ayebare.
Kasujja revealed that approximately 12 other Ugandans arrested in Zambia in August remain in prison after travelling to the country for employment on the eve of polling day. The group is suspected of involvement in ballot stuffing.
Kasujja says the repatriation of the detainees is complicated by their scattered locations and the need to verify their citizenship before arrangements can be made to bring them home.
Kasujja urged Ugandans to exercise extreme caution when pursuing employment opportunities abroad, particularly those involving travel to Russia and other foreign destinations, even when the offers come through relatives or trusted acquaintances. He says prospective migrant workers should scrutinise job offers, verify employers and ask difficult questions before committing to travel.
Recent reports from the Directorate for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs indicate that Myanmar has emerged as a major hub for international human trafficking networks targeting foreign nationals with fraudulent employment opportunities, often advertised as jobs in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.
The victims, many of them young information technology graduates, are promised well-paying jobs in Thailand, Cambodia and China. However, upon arrival, they are trafficked into rebel-held areas of Myanmar, where their passports and mobile phones are confiscated, effectively cutting them off from their families and restricting their freedom of movement.
They are subsequently confined in overcrowded dormitories and subjected to forced labour, with criminal syndicates compelling them to operate online scams. Some victims are reportedly required to generate as much as 10,000 US dollars per person daily.
Uganda has repeatedly mounted rescue and repatriation operations for citizens trapped in these criminal compounds. In May 2024, 23 Ugandans were repatriated after being held in Tachileik since 2023 and forced to participate in cryptocurrency scams.
In May 2025, another 26 Ugandans, comprising 13 men and 13 women, were repatriated following negotiations involving Myanmar and Thai authorities. By July 2025, the government had confirmed that a total of 51 Ugandans had been brought home that year.
The impending return of the 21 victims underscores the growing threat of human trafficking, with Ugandans increasingly falling prey to international criminal networks exploiting the desperation for employment.
In recent years, hundreds of Ugandans have been lured to the Middle East, Asia and Russia with promises of lucrative jobs, only to find themselves trapped in forced labour, domestic servitude, cybercrime compounds and conflict zones.
Many are subjected to beatings, starvation, withheld wages and isolation from their families. Others remain missing, while survivors return home traumatised, financially devastated and without the jobs they were promised.
