Ethiopian government arrested 200 people smugglers

Tigrai Online, May 18, 2015

The Ethiopian government has arrested 200 suspected people smugglers in a campaign to stop those who are becoming rich by selling their own people. The Ethiopian authorities are still looking for 80 other alleged smugglers who are organizing and carrying out overseas operations.

Ethiopian Federal Affairs Minister Shiferaw Teklemariam is quoted as saying "The detentions are part of the government's efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. People should understand the fact that illegal migration is costing lives and leaving many injured. The youth in particular should stop considering migrating as an option and we are carrying out works to help in job creation at home. This is besides the education we are providing to the youth, parents and religious leaders about the problems of illegal migration."

Many Ethiopians are leaving their country looking to make some money and return back to Ethiopia and open businesses. It is not only the desperately poor and destitute leaving Ethiopia, some of those Ethiopians are paying four to five thousand or more dollars to illegal people smugglers to get them to Europe through Libya. The people traffickers promise the people they will find great jobs when they get to Europe or North America, but in reality most of them don’t make it beyond the Mediterranean Sea.

Since the tragic events in Libya last month, the Ethiopian government has declared war on people smugglers. The arrest of the two hundred suspected smugglers is part of that effort and fight against the human sermons taking place in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government should be applauded for taking a concrete action against human smugglers. Eritrea is the second biggest source of illegal immigrants in the world and number one in Africa. Ethiopia is also a big contributor of migrants who are seeking better life outside of their country. The Eritrean government, let alone to try to stop illegal immigration of it’s people, some of the military generals are accused by the UN for taking part in illegal people smuggling of their own people.

At the present time Ethiopian law allow judges to sentence people smugglers up to 20 years in prison and maximum fine of two thousand dollars or fifty thousand Ethiopian birr.