A Ugandan official has said seven Eritrean football players have disappeared at the end of a regional tournament.

Rogers Mulindwa, a spokesman for a body that organised the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, said Tuesday that a police search for the players continues.

A police spokesman did not immediately comment.

The players are believed to be the latest to defect from Eritrea, whose government under President Isaias Afwerki has been described by human rights groups as one of the most tightly controlled regimes in the world.

Four members of Eritrea's under-20 team sought asylum in Uganda in October.