Human trafficking ring exposed in Mogadishu as police arrest 27 suspects

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least 27 people have been arrested in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, over human trafficking offences, police said, in what is believed to have been a well-coordinated ring that comprises even more criminals.

Sadiq Aden Doodishe, the police spokesperson, told reporters that 27 people among them two women have since been arrested, and are all waiting to be arraigned in court for human trafficking offenses.

The arrests, he added, were made between June 8 and to date, with the suspects recording various statements over the cases. It's believed that quite a number of traffickers are on the run given the cases reported in various stations in the country.

He said the suspects were responsible for trafficking youth out of the country but did not give details about the ring. Most youths are ferried out of the country to the Middle East for odd jobs and some are said to be recruited in terror groups, the spokesperson added.

The human trafficking syndicate has been operating the capital for a while, the police officers acting on a tip-off, have successfully arrested the operators. "Our officers are carrying out investigations into their cases and soon they will be taken to court to face charges,” said Doodishe.

Authorities in Puntland last year said they had rescued over 300 children who had been abducted from their families in the hope of being given rewarding jobs only to end up in the hands of human traffickers who use the children for among others, organ harvesting.

Further, police in Mogadishu rescued children aged between seven months and twelve years after bursting a trafficking ring and arrested eleven people among them, eight women. The incident took place in September 2019.

Most of those trafficked out of the country are exposed to inhumane treatment and at times are found stranded in host countries. A number of cases have been reported in Libya and the Middle East involving Somali citizens being trafficked out of the country.

Somalia is struggling with a myriad of challenges and human traffickers have often taken advantage to commit such crimes. Among others, Somalia is keen to fight terrorism and embrace political order that would minimize conflicts in the Horn of Africa nation.

GAROWE ONLINE