Cambodia Denies Issuing Expulsion Order Against African Nationals

Cambodia’s government has rejected claims that it ordered African nationals to leave the country by May 31, 2026, describing a widely circulated notice purportedly from its General Department of Immigration as a fabricated document designed to mislead the public and damage the country’s reputation.

“It is fake news fabricated to distort the situation and mislead domestic and international audiences,” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Friday, categorically denying that any such nationality-specific order or immigration waiver expiration targeting African nationals had been issued.

The notice, which spread rapidly across social media and was reported by several major African news platforms, claimed to be signed by Lt. Gen. Som Sopheak, Director General of Immigration, and approved by Gen. Sar Sokha, Secretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, ordering citizens of Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda and other African countries to depart before May 31 or face a two-year jail term and an $8,000 fine from June 1.

The General Department of Immigration pointed specifically to several websites based in Ghana as among the outlets that had published and amplified the disputed reports.

The Ministry of Interior described the publications as a deliberate attempt to distort facts, mislead international public opinion and damage Cambodia’s reputation, urging the public to verify all immigration information exclusively through official government channels including the General Department of Immigration website and its hotline.