logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
21m 46s

How did the promise of work lead African...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

"It was hell. The worst seven months of my life. I was beaten, humiliated, electrocuted."

Jalil Muyeke thought he was travelling to Thailand for a dream job. Instead, he was trafficked to Myanmar, imprisoned in a scam centre, and forced to commit online fraud under the threat of violence. An estimated 100,000 people fell victim to these operations run by Chinese crime groups.

Jalil endured seven months of beatings and abuse before finally finding a way out. He eventually had to pay for his own flight back home and was fined 1,500 Thai Baht for overstaying his visa, which is approximately 44 dollars - a small price to pay to be swiftly reunited with his family in Uganda. But thousands are still stuck in Myanmar today, with many African governments unwilling to pay to bring their citizens home.

Alan Kasujja speaks to Jalil, who survived the ordeal, to find out how he was tricked, what life was like inside, and how he made it out.

Up next
Aug 22
Focus on Africa: Exploring Africa-Japan trade ties
Japan has pledged to work more closely with African countries at global summit on economic development. How can Africa benefit from stronger ties with Japan?The former prime minister of Chad is facing a 20-year prison term after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and havi ... Show More
32m 3s
Aug 20
Focus on Africa: Increased concerns over missing Ethiopia journalists
Two prominent journalists in Ethiopia, Abdulsemed Mohammed and Yonas Amare, have been missing for more than a week after being abducted by what reports say, were men wearing masks and military uniforms. There has been no news about their whereabouts but their disappearances have ... Show More
27m 44s
Aug 15
Focus on Africa: Nigeria negotiates $346m arms deal with US
The US government has approved a $346m arms deal with Nigeria which would include munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets. What is behind the change in a decade-long US policy about selling certain kinds of weapons to Nigeria?The mining of gold has been a key driver of S ... Show More
33m 14s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Myanmar scam: A victim's story
We hear from a Sri Lankan woman who was trafficked and forced to conduct illegal online activity, including cyber fraud against vulnerable victims. Aneka Boram is one of thousands of people who've recently escaped from so-called scam centres. She talks about her captivity and des ... Show More
18m 59s
Mar 2024
Kidnapped in Nigeria: A personal testimony
Yet another kidnapping in Nigeria's Kaduna State, where gunmen abducted around 100 people including women and children, that's according to local authorities. We hear a very brave and harrowing interview from a young woman who was taken by Boko Haram back in 2013, but had a lucky ... Show More
32m 14s
Mar 2025
Myanmar earthquake death toll passes 1,000
Amidst all the death and damage caused by the earthquake in Myanmar, the UN said they have had reports the military government is still launching air strikes on rebel-held areas. More than 1,000 are now known to have died in Myanmar and thousands more injured after a 7.7-magnitud ... Show More
47m 28s
Aug 2024
What's behind the unrest in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, people shot dead by police and hundreds arrested for protesting against government economic policies. President Tinubu says the reforms are vital. Critics say they're too extreme. So why are people so angry? And could this unrest spread? In this episode: Isa Sanusi, D ... Show More
24m 44s
Jan 2025
10. North Korea’s CIA: The Billion Dollar Heist (Ep 2)
What happens when an authoritarian state runs its security services like an organised crime syndicate? Why did a group of North Korean cyber criminals gamble away vast sums of stolen money in the casinos of Las Vegas? And did Kim Jong Un's spies get away with their billion dollar ... Show More
44m 53s
Jul 2023
Sudan crisis - 100 days on with no end in sight
Since the fighting broke out on April 15, more than 3.1 million people have fled their homes – looking for safety abroad in Egypt, Chad and the Central African Republic. There is still no end in sight for this continuing war of generals between Mohamed Dagalo, known as Hemedti, w ... Show More
28m 26s
Oct 2022
Ugandan Asians: The Reckoning
General Idi Amin seized power in in Uganda in 1971. His brutal dictatorship is synonymous with the deportation of the country's 80,000-strong Asian population fifty years ago this year. As the popular story goes, Asians built the economy and the country. Then a brutish African le ... Show More
29m 12s
Dec 2024
The ‘FBI’ called. Then she got scammed.
Americans are being conned every day by increasingly sophisticated scams. Today, we hear the story of one woman who lost her life's savings to a government impersonation scam. Read more: According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans were scammed out of more than $10 billio ... Show More
38m 24s