Ethiopian police have announced the arrest of a "dangerous international human trafficker" and nine accomplices, accused of smuggling more than 3,000 migrants into Libya.
According to authorities, this network, under investigation since 2018, recruited young people from Ethiopia, but also from Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia. All hoped to reach Europe by transiting through Libya.
Kidnapping and violence in Libya
Once they arrived in Libya, the victims were held in five warehouses controlled by the network. The traffickers demanded large ransoms from the families.
According to the police, migrants who could not pay were subjected to extremely violent treatment: food deprivation, beatings, blows with electric cables, or even having their hands and feet chained.
Some victims were reportedly burned, women raped, and several people killed under torture.
In total, authorities estimate that more than 3,000 people were victims of this network. "More than 100 people were killed and more than 50 women raped," the police statement specifies.
Ten suspects, seven men and three women, have been arrested, and their mugshots have been made public.
The investigation, conducted with the support of Interpol's ROCK project, funded by the European Union, has allowed for the interviewing of more than 100 victims and members of their families.
Authorities estimate that the criminal network generated approximately $20 million.
The operation also helped to identify more than 70 human traffickers operating in Ethiopia and abroad.
