The government of Uganda on Tuesday announced the arrest of more than 200 foreign nationals in a crackdown on illegal migration.
In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said enforcement teams from the National Citizenship and Immigration Control (NCIC) carried out two major intelligence-led operations in Adjumani District and Kampala, detaining a total of 231 suspects.
The first operation, conducted on April 27 in Adjumani District, saw 62 Nigerian nationals arrested for allegedly operating without valid work permits. Authorities said the group was engaged in various activities, including running a church.
Hours later, a night raid in the Bukoto–Ntinda area of Kampala uncovered a larger and more complex operation. Immigration officers arrested 169 foreign nationals who were reportedly living in a tightly controlled apartment complex without valid immigration status.
The second group included people from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Malaysia, all of whom were staying in “a highly restricted, self-contained apartment complex equipped with its own restaurant and internal facilities designed to restrict movement,” according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Thirty-six of the 169 people found in the compound were women.
Authorities say they acted on intelligence showing large groups of foreigners living or working in Uganda without the necessary papers to do so. Many didn´t have passports, the ministry said.
“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.”
Those found to have broken the law face criminal prosecution, it said.
MG/as/APA