Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A document that circulated widely on social media on 28 May 2026, purporting to be an official notice from Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration ordering all African nationals to leave the country by 31 May or face arrest, imprisonment and a fine of $8,000, has been categorically rejected by the Royal Government of Cambodia as “fake news fabricated to distort the situation and mislead domestic and international audiences”. The Ministry of Interior of Cambodia issued a formal statement of clarification on 29 May 2026, identifying two Ghana‑based online media outlets as the original sources of the falsified notice and warning that the publication of such fabricated documents constitutes “a deliberate attempt to distort facts, mislead international public opinion, and damage the reputation and image of the Kingdom of Cambodia”.
The now‑debunked notice, which bore the letterhead of the General Department of Immigration, claimed that an immigration waiver previously granted to African nationals would expire on 31 May 2026 and that all affected foreigners whose fines had been cleared must leave the country by that date. It further threatened that anyone found in Cambodia from 1 June would be arrested, could face a two‑year jail term and a penalty of $8,000, and would then be deported. The document named citizens of Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and Uganda specifically, and stated that police would begin arresting foreigners “at any hideout” from the beginning of June.
However, within 24 hours of the document’s appearance, Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior moved to quell the panic. In a statement published on the official Royal Government of Cambodia news website, the ministry said: “The Ministry would like to firmly clarify that Cambodia has never adopted any policy ordering African nationals to leave the country as falsely alleged in the fabricated reports. On the contrary, Cambodia has consistently welcomed all foreigners who fully comply with applicable legal requirements, including businesspersons, investors, tourists, and foreign workers, to enter and reside in Cambodia without any discrimination.” The statement identified the two Ghana‑based outlets that published the false notice and described their action as a deliberate attempt to undermine Cambodia’s international image.
Despite the official denial, the viral notice had already spread widely across social media platforms, sparking alarm among African communities in Cambodia and raising questions about the treatment of African migrants in Southeast Asia. Several news outlets in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria had initially reported the “order” as a breaking development, citing the falsified document. The Cambodian government’s swift rebuttal has now cast the entire episode as a case of misinformation, but it has also highlighted the vulnerability of African nationals who are often targeted by human trafficking rings operating in the region.
For years, Cambodia has been identified by international watchdogs as a hotspot for transnational scam operations. Criminal networks have lured thousands of foreigners from Africa, South Asia and other regions with fake job offers in customer service, cryptocurrency trading and technology firms. Many of those who arrive discover that their passports are confiscated, their movements are restricted, and they are forced to work in online fraud schemes targeting victims globally. Several Kenyans, Ghanaians and Nigerians have in recent years appealed to their governments for intervention, citing abuse, intimidation and an inability to raise money for travel or immigration penalties. The Cambodian government’s own immigration data shows that between 20 April and 30 April 2026 alone, 2,671 foreigners of 29 nationalities were deported from the country, many in connection with illegal residence and online scam operations.
The debunked notice, though fabricated, tapped into a genuine and painful reality: many Africans in Cambodia are not there voluntarily. They are victims of trafficking who arrived after being promised lucrative jobs, only to find themselves trapped in exploitative working conditions. The penalties threatened in the fake notice – two years in prison and an $8,000 fine – would be devastating for people already struggling to survive. The Cambodian government’s swift denial of the order may provide some relief, but it does not erase the underlying problem of migrants who remain undocumented, trapped and unable to return home.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued an official statement on the incident, but the Nigerian community in Cambodia had already begun advising members to regularise their immigration status. One Nigerian resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Stone Reporters News: “Even though the order has been debunked, many of us are still afraid. The fact that a document like that could circulate and be believed shows how vulnerable we are.”
The Cambodian government’s statement urged all national and international media outlets to “uphold the highest standards of professionalism and responsibility in disseminating information in order to avoid creating misunderstanding and misinformation”. It also warned that the fabrication of public documents and the dissemination of false information would not be tolerated.
For now, the threat of a 31 May deadline has been lifted, but the underlying issues that made the fake notice believable remain unresolved. African nationals in Cambodia continue to navigate a precarious existence, caught between the risk of being swept up in immigration crackdowns and the impossibility of returning home without help from their own governments. The incident serves as a sobering reminder that in the age of viral misinformation, a single fabricated document can spread panic across continents – and that the truth, when it finally arrives, often comes too late for those already scrambling to protect themselves.
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