adminNAIROBI – At least 38 suspects of human trafficking suspects have been arrested in Ethiopia, 28 human trafficking victims rescued and 15 suspects arrested in Uganda in an Interpol-backed security operations in eastern and southern Africa. A statement issued by the global police agency said the operation which targeted human, drugs and arms traffickers also resulted in the identification of hundreds of illegal immigrants.
“AK47s were among the guns recovered in Tanzania and Uganda with weapons also seized in Burundi and Swaziland,” Francis Rwego, head of Interpol’s Regional Bureau in Nairobi, said. The operation codenamed Usalama (safety) was led by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) with support from Interpol.
Rwego said thousands of checks against Interpol’s stolen vehicle database resulted in a series of matches for vehicles reported stolen from countries including Japan, Malaysia, South Africa and Britain.
The operation resulted in the recovery of 12 elephant tusks in Mozambique and Tanzania and the arrest of a woman in possession of six kg of heroin at Nairobi’s international airport.
According to the statement, the operation led to the destruction of some 100 acres of cannabis plantations in South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and the identification of a suspected diamond smuggler in Botswana.
“My experience as a police chief is that ultimately every crime is transnational and cross-border in nature. This calls for the need to work together more than ever to solve national and transnational crimes,” said General Kale Kayihura, Inspector General of Police and Chairperson of EAPCCO.
“The success of operation Usalama shows that we can and must work together, not only at EAPCCO/SARPCCO regional level, but also at pan-African level if we are to succeed,” Kayihura added.
Refugee rights organisations and aid agencies have blamed poverty in Africa for the rising cases of human trafficking. They said that the huge supply of labour both skilled and unskilled makes them vulnerable to criminal syndicates.
According to the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), up to 20 000 Somali and Ethiopian immigrants are smuggled into Kenya annually with South Africa as their final destination.
However, globally approximately 600 000 to 800 000 persons are trafficked annually with 80 percent of victims being female.
Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) Information Officer Andrew Maina said recently that studies indicate that at least 50 girls between the age of 10 and 15 every week are sold to serve as sex workers in the main towns of Kenya.
The crime is prevalent in all regions of the country but poor parents are known to coerce their children into prostitution. The situation is further exacerbated in northern Kenya by the frequent drought that increases the presence of cheap labour.
The victims normally have no access to freedom of movement as well as any other fundamental rights.
Supported by Interpol’s Regional Bureaus in Nairobi and Harare, a series of pre-operational briefings were held to share intelligence on national and regional crime issues, identify trends and provide training on Interpol’s global tools and services used during the three-day (July16-18) operation.
Rwego said the operation Usalama was a strong, coordinated response from law enforcement to tackle the serious challenges posed by transnational crimes in Eastern and Southern Africa.
“Hundreds of human trafficking victims have been saved, drugs and guns taken off the streets and serious criminals arrested through this operation, made possible through the leadership of EAPCCO and SARPCCO,” Rwego said. — Xinhua.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu