By David Johnson
About 60 Sierra Leoneans currently stranded in Cambodia are appealing for urgent assistance to facilitate their repatriation to Sierra Leone, claiming they are facing severe hardship and exploitation after being lured to the Asian country with promises of lucrative employment.
Speaking to Voice of Salone Newspaper, several of the stranded nationals recounted how they were allegedly deceived by individuals who promised them well-paying jobs in Cambodia, only for them to discover upon arrival that the opportunities were vastly different from what had been advertised.
One of the victims, Isha Isaitu Sillah, explained that she was persuaded while in Sierra Leone to travel to Cambodia for what she was told would be a cleaning job. According to her, she paid a substantial amount of money to facilitate the travel and job arrangements.
“I was in Sierra Leone when certain individuals told me about a cleaner job in Cambodia. I paid money for the opportunity,” she said. “But when I arrived, they introduced me to a computer-related job which I did not understand because I am not educated.”
Sillah said she refused the job and requested the return of her passport so she could travel back home. However, she claimed that her passport was seized and she was later asked to pay 7,000 US dollars to retrieve it.
She further revealed that many of them are living in extremely difficult conditions. “We are eight people sharing a single room,” she said, adding that they have already raised their concerns with the Sierra Leone Ambassador to China, who oversees diplomatic relations with Cambodia.
According to Sillah, several victims were forced to work but were never paid, and those who resisted were allegedly subjected to harsh treatment and intimidation.
The victims say they have reported their situation to authorities but have yet to receive any concrete assistance.
The leader of the Sierra Leonean Community in Cambodia, Idrissa Smart, also spoke to Voice of Salone Newspaper, describing the ordeal faced by the stranded nationals.
“Since we became stranded in Cambodia after being scammed for jobs, we have reached out to the Sierra Leone Ambassador to China to explain our situation,” he said. “Many of our people have been subjected to physical abuse, severe beatings, electric shocks, and are often denied food and basic necessities.”
According to Smart, their captors are allegedly demanding $7,000 per person for their release.
He disclosed that following media reports about their situation, the Sierra Leone Ambassador to China contacted them and reportedly wrote to Cambodian authorities requesting a waiver of immigration fines to enable the victims to return home.
However, he said that no official response has been received so far.
Smart also revealed that around 60 Sierra Leoneans are currently stranded in Cambodia, with 30 reportedly in police custody, while others managed to escape and are now in hiding.
Voice of Salone Newspaper understands that nationals from other countries—including Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and the Philippines—have also faced similar situations in Cambodia.
According to an official correspondence dated 30 January 2026 from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, requests were submitted by the embassies of Uganda and Ghana in Kuala Lumpur seeking waivers of fines and exit visas for their citizens stranded in Cambodia.
The diplomatic notes requested the waiver of overstay fines for 291 Ugandan citizens and 47 Ghanaian nationals, allowing them to receive exit visas and return home on humanitarian grounds.
Reports indicate that Cambodian authorities later approved those requests, facilitating the repatriation of the affected nationals to their respective countries.
However, despite a similar request reportedly submitted by Sierra Leone through its Ambassador to China, Cambodian authorities have yet to respond regarding the situation of Sierra Leonean nationals.
Idrissa Smart further claimed that he has repeatedly attempted to contact the ambassador since February, but his messages have not received a response. Efforts by Voice of Salone Newspaper to reach the ambassador for comment have also been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, speaking on Truth Media on Thursday, 12 March 2026, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swarray, confirmed that the government has received reports about the stranded Sierra Leoneans in Cambodia.
He stated that the government, through the Sierra Leone Ambassador to China, has engaged the Cambodian authorities on the matter and that efforts are currently ongoing to address the situation.
The stranded Sierra Leoneans are now urgently appealing to the government to expedite diplomatic efforts to secure their safe return home, describing their current situation as desperate and life-threatening.
