More than 40,000 migrants and dozens killed: international human trafficking network uncovered in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, law enforcement agencies reported the arrest of 17 people suspected of involvement in the activities of an international human trafficking network.
According to investigators, the criminal group organized the illegal transport of tens of thousands of migrants and may be linked to the deaths of at least 60 people, as well as numerous cases of sexual violence and torture.
Police said that among those detained is the alleged organizer of the criminal scheme, Mohammed Tahir, known by the nickname "Wordi." Together with other defendants in the case, he is suspected of creating a large-scale network for the illegal transportation of Ethiopian citizens to Saudi Arabia through the territories of Djibouti and Yemen.
According to investigators, the criminal organization transported more than 40,000 migrants during its operations. Investigators also claim that the group members received more than one billion Ethiopian birr from their victims, equivalent to approximately 6.1 million U.S. dollars.
According to law enforcement, the suspects set up special facilities in Yemen where migrants were illegally held. It was there, investigators say, that people were subjected to physical violence, torture, and other cruel treatment. In addition, many women, according to police, became victims of sexual violence.
Investigators also believe that members of the criminal network filmed the abuse of migrants and then sent the recordings to the victims' relatives in Ethiopia, demanding ransom for the release of those being held.
Photos of all those detained were published by Ethiopian police on the agency's official Facebook page. At this time, the suspects, including the alleged leader of the group, have not yet appeared in court and have not publicly commented on the charges against them.
The investigation is taking place against the backdrop of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where years of armed conflict have left an extremely unstable security and law-and-order situation. According to the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, the country remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, which investigators believe the organizers of the illegal human trafficking may have exploited.
Law enforcement agencies continue the investigation, establishing all the circumstances of the criminal network's activities as well as possible accomplices involved in organizing illegal migration and the exploitation of people.
Source: BBC
