Associated Press | Ugandan authorities report that they have detained dozens of foreigners in a crackdown on illegal migration that the internal affairs ministry suggested was linked to human traffickers and cyberscam operations.

At least 231 people had been detained in operations in the country’s north and a closed compound in Kampala, the capital.

The first group included people from Nigeria. The second group included 169 people from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Malaysia, all of whom were staying in a compound described by the Ministry of Internal Affairs as “a highly restricted, self-contained apartment complex equipped with its own restaurant and internal facilities designed to restrict movement.” Thirty-six of the people found in the compound were women.

Some of those detained claim they were trafficked into Uganda with promises of employment, while others were involved in cyber-scamming activities. A few were found with materials related to involvement in other criminal activities. The detainees are being held for questioning and are grouped into three categories:

Suspected victims of trafficking
Alleged perpetrators
Those who overstayed their visas but did not engage in criminal activities

The trafficking victims and those who overstayed their visas will be helped to leave Uganda after buying their own tickets, according to the Ministry for Internal Affairs. Those whom authorities identify as suspected ringleaders of trafficking will be charged and could eventually face deportation.

Full article: Uganda detains 231 foreigners in crackdown on possible human trafficking