Human trafficking kingpin arrested in Ethiopia
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A man accused of running one of East Africa’s most ruthless human trafficking operations has been arrested in Ethiopia, bringing to an end a years-long cross-border manhunt that spanned multiple continents and uncovered a trail of violence, extortion, and abuse stretching from the Horn of Africa to the shores of Libya.
Yetbarek Dawit, believed to be the architect of a criminal network that has operated since 2018, was arrested alongside nine alleged accomplices in the northern Tigray town of Shire, a region bordering both Eritrea and Sudan. The suspects, seven men and three women, were subsequently transferred to the capital, Addis Ababa. None have yet been charged in court.
Investigators say Yetbarek’s operation preyed on the dreams of thousands of young people across East Africa, luring them with the promise of passage to Europe. More than 3,000 victims, predominantly young people from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan, were allegedly transported to Libya, where the journey turned into a nightmare.
According to Ethiopian Federal Police, Yetbarek controlled five detention warehouses in Libya where migrants were held captive and subjected to systematic torture designed to extort money from their families back home.
Those who could not pay were allegedly reduced to one meal a day. Testimonies gathered from victims describe beatings with rubber, sticks and electric wires, victims being chained by their hands and feet, and having melted plastic dripped onto their bodies. More than 50 women were allegedly subjected to sexual violence, resulting in severe physical and psychological trauma.
Police say the network is linked to the deaths of more than 100 people.
What made Yetbarek particularly difficult to track was his deliberate use of multiple identities across different countries. He is known as “Adhanom” in Sudan, “Ahmed” in Djibouti and Somalia, “Munir” in Kenya, and “Kibrom” in Sweden and other parts of Europe, a web of false identities that allowed him to operate across borders while evading detection.
Investigators, aided by advanced technology and the Regional Operational Centre (Rock), an EU-funded body established to dismantle smuggling networks in East Africa, were eventually able to cut through aliases and close in on their target.
Testimonies from more than 100 alleged victims and their families across Ethiopia, Libya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada were also critical to building the case.
The scale of the operation’s profitability reflects the depth of its criminality. Police estimate the network generated more than $19 million (£14 million) through its activities. Following the arrests, the bank accounts of Yetbarek and his associates have been frozen and their properties confiscated.
Ethiopian authorities described the arrests as the result of a painstaking international investigation, one that required coordination across multiple jurisdictions and agencies. The involvement of Rock, which exists specifically to combat East African smuggling networks, proved instrumental.
For the families of victims spread across multiple continents, the arrests may offer a measure of relief, though for many, the road to justice and recovery is only just beginning.
Source: BBC
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