KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda has repatriated 289 nationals rescued from human trafficking syndicates operating in Cambodia, Oman, Laos and Myanmar, a mass Rwanda trafficking victims repatriation operation that lays bare the scale of cross-border exploitation and the limits of regional law enforcement cooperation.
Justice Minister and Attorney General Emmanuel Ugirashebuja disclosed the figures before Parliament on Thursday, revealing that the victims were extracted between 2025 and March 2026. Cambodia accounted for the largest share at 101 rescued Rwandans, followed by Oman with 99, Laos with 58, and Myanmar with 31.
Most were young people lured by fraudulent job offers abroad, only to be trapped in forced labour or other exploitative conditions.
“Combating trafficking remains difficult because criminal networks operate across borders, making investigations and evidence gathering from victims more challenging,” Ugirashebuja told MPs, according to KT Press.
Rwanda trafficking victims repatriated amid weak African cooperation
The minister cited Interpol data showing that collaboration among African countries on human trafficking stands at roughly 5 per cent, compared with 98 per cent in Europe. That disparity, he warned, leaves trafficking corridors across East Africa and beyond poorly monitored, allowing syndicates to move victims through multiple jurisdictions before delivering them to destinations in Asia and the Middle East.
The repatriations come as Rwanda remains on the US State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report Tier 2 Watch List. While the report acknowledged that Kigali had strengthened investigations, prosecutions, and foreign government cooperation, it identified persistent gaps in victim identification, referral systems, and enforcement capacity.
“Scarce resources, lack of training, limited capacity, and conflation of human trafficking with other crimes continued to hinder overall law enforcement efforts,” the report stated.
Fraudulent recruitment tactics target vulnerable Rwandans
Traffickers have increasingly turned to online job platforms and social media to recruit victims, the State Department report noted. Target populations include homeless youth, orphaned children, persons with disabilities, women and girls, unemployed adults, undocumented migrants, and internally displaced persons — groups whose economic desperation makes them susceptible to promises of well-paying work overseas.
Once abroad, many victims find their passports confiscated, wages withheld, and movement restricted. The Rwandan government’s ability to intervene is often hampered by jurisdictional barriers, language differences, and the reluctance of some destination countries to acknowledge exploitation within their labour markets.
Victim protection gaps persist despite legal reforms
While Rwanda has strengthened its domestic anti-trafficking legal framework, the State Department report and Ugirashebuja’s parliamentary briefing converged on a single weakness: victim protection.
Stronger coordination among agencies responsible for identifying and assisting survivors is still needed, both at the point of rescue abroad and during reintegration at home.