Eritrea: Under-20s footballers disappear in Uganda

Five Eritrean under-20 footballers have disappeared in Uganda during the regional Cecafa Under-20 Challenge Cup.

The players allegedly fled from their hotel in Jinja in eastern Kampala on Monday and failed to report for training with the team on Tuesday. Head coach Haile Efrem Alemseghed initially suggested the players were unwell ahead of a crucial game against Kenya in the semi-finals of the regional competition. However, the players are believed to have requested asylum from the Ugandan government.

Eritrean players disappear

Eritrea has one of the world’s worst records for human rights violations with roughly 12 percent of the country’s entire population having fled for refuge in overseas nations, according to data from HRW.

This isn’t the first instance of Eritrean footballers fleeing while travelling for away matches. In 2015, a group of 10 Eritrean national players refused to return to their country after a World Cup qualifier in Botswana.

In 2009, the entire national team failed to return to Eritrea after a competition in Kenya. Only the coach and one official were found on the plane once it landed back in the Horn of Africa nation.

Eritrea is due to face Kenya in the Cecafa Under-20 Challenge Cup on Wednesday with just 14 players remaining.

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