Ghana Foreign Ministry Dismisses Viral Cambodia Deportation Notice as Fabricated
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved to quash a fraudulent document circulating on social media that claimed Ghanaian nationals and other Africans had been ordered to leave Cambodia by May 31, 2026, or face arrest, imprisonment and fines.
The fabricated notice, which named citizens of Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda and several other African countries, spread rapidly across both social and traditional media before the Ministry intervened on Thursday, May 29, with an official rebuttal.
Through diplomatic channels, the Ministry engaged Cambodian authorities directly and received confirmation that no such directive had been issued. Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration, operating under the country’s Ministry of Interior, released its own statement describing the document as “completely untrue.”
The Ministry’s press release stated that following diplomatic engagements with the relevant Cambodian authorities, it had been confirmed that the notice was absolutely fake and was not issued by any state institution in Cambodia.
The incident underscores the growing menace of fabricated official documents in an era where misinformation can outrun verification. For Ghanaian communities abroad, the false notice caused understandable alarm, particularly among those with family members in Southeast Asia.
Despite the document being discredited, the Ministry revealed a more nuanced reality on the ground. Some Ghanaians living in Cambodia had independently requested assistance to return home voluntarily — a request the government has been actively facilitating. Through Ghana’s High Commission in Malaysia, which holds accreditation for Cambodia, authorities have already evacuated 85 Ghanaians between March and May 2026. Arrangements are underway to repatriate an additional 76 who have expressed interest in returning.
The voluntary evacuations echo a pattern of government-assisted returns that has become increasingly common as Ghanaians abroad face difficult circumstances in their host countries. The recent evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks demonstrated both the scale of the challenge and the growing capacity of Ghana’s diplomatic machinery to respond.
The Ministry urged the public and media organisations to disregard the false document and avoid spreading unverified information capable of causing fear and panic. It commended the Cambodian government for its cooperation throughout the genuine evacuation process and advised Ghanaians to rely only on official sources for information concerning nationals abroad.
The episode serves as a reminder that in a hyper-connected information environment, the ability to distinguish authentic official communication from sophisticated fabrications has become a critical public skill — one that governments, media organisations and citizens must continue to develop.
Image Source: GHANAIAN TIMES
