Major Human Trafficking Network Cracked Down in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AXADLE) — On Friday, the Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) declared the dismantling of one of the country’s most extensive human trafficking rings. This crackdown comes at a time when Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya grapple with escalating crises affecting countless lives.

The operation led to the apprehension of 49 owners of travel agencies. Authorities seized an array of documents, including Ethiopian passports, birth certificates, and airline tickets. These findings are integral to an active investigation into human trafficking activities.

Insiders suggest the network may have trafficked around 15,000 Ethiopians via illicit channels, endangering lives and jeopardizing national security.

These events transpired between June 2023 and August 2024.

The NISS, collaborating closely with the Ethiopian Federal Police, executed the arrests following a thorough investigation and surveillance of suspected trafficking networks, both within Ethiopia and abroad.

“Our inquiry uncovered that brokers, both domestic and international, are entangled in this criminal web,” the NISS stated.

Furthermore, the agency accused certain individuals of exploiting visa connections under the guise of tourism and work, implicating various parties, including some embassy personnel.

Authorities revealed that multiple travel agencies camouflaged illegal trafficking activities as legitimate business operations, with some government officials complicit in these schemes.

This network utilized counterfeit documents, including identity cards, passports, and visas. “Certain individuals within government systems become accomplices to the heinous crime of human trafficking by forging advantageous connections,” affirmed the NISS.

The agency cautioned that such trafficking operations plunge Ethiopians into distressing situations, posing severe threats like “human rights abuses, psychological trauma, rape, organ trade, and even death.” The NISS elaborated that after embarking on perilous sea, land, or air journeys, victims find themselves herded together and sold through negotiations with employers.

Traffickers across Somalia, Somaliland, and Kenya are deeply involved in this scandal.

This alarming revelation echoes ongoing reports concerning other trafficking operations in Somalia and Somaliland, where vulnerable folks are smuggled out using counterfeit documentation.

Networks extend from bustling Mogadishu to Hargeisa, drawing in travel agencies and officials from the Somali immigration, police, and airport sectors.

Traffickers are reportedly in cahoots with members of the Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, profiting off this illicit trade.

The majority of victims, among them women, children, and young men, are escaping dire humanitarian situations and conflict in Somalia. Once trafficked, many are forced into prostitution or labor. Predators often ensnare victims with false promises of jobs and brighter futures in Europe.

During June and July 2024, Mogadishu police, aided by vigilant families, thwarted attempts to traffic three underage girls from the city to Hargeisa using forged documents.

The smugglers intended to ship the girls to Sudan and Libya, where ransom demands would be made from their families.

In another alarming case last month, traffickers enlisted Somali police officers attending an Interpol meeting in Lyon, France, to facilitate the smuggling of individuals. Upon their arrival in France, these victims dispersed into other European nations.

Furthermore, in July, the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu halted visa issuance for Somali service passport holders upon discovering that traffickers exploited these documents to smuggle people into Turkey.

Many utilizing Somali service and diplomatic passports turned out to be not actual government personnel, with some engaging in serious crimes in Turkey.

Prominent among these incidents was the case of Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, son of the Somali president, convicted in January 2024 by a Turkish court for fatally wounding a young Turkish citizen while piloting a Somali diplomatic vehicle. Investigations revealed he held no diplomatic credentials, having fraudulently acquired a residence visa by “misrepresenting his diplomatic status.”

In Kenya, a recent investigation by KTN News and The Standard Newspaper uncovered that the pervasive human trafficking network had infiltrated various government entities.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Sports found themselves embroiled in a visa fraud scandal, which resulted in the apprehension of 12 individuals last June. A whistleblower who tipped off authorities regrettably had to flee the nation due to threats against their life.

Investigation leader, journalist Francis Odee, disclosed that 15 ordinary Kenyans put down between $15,000 and $20,000 to certain officials in exchange for hollow promises of U.S. visas and Green Cards.