Ringleader of suspected human trafficking network arrested in Ethiopia

Arrest Illustration

Police in Ethiopia have arrested a man accused of being at the centre of a multi-million-dollar international human trafficking ring that since 2018 has lured thousands of people to Libya, where they hoped to travel on to Europe.

Yetbarek Dawit is alleged to have operated five detention warehouses in Libya, torturing migrants there to try and force their relatives to send extra money.

He was detained along with nine of his alleged accomplices in northern town of Shire, according to police. They are yet to be charged in court.

Police say testimonies collected so far suggest the network has been involved in the deaths of more than 100 people and the sexual abuse of more than 50 women.

The arrests were the result of a complex and cross-border investigation, the police said, involving an organisation called the Regional Operational Centre (Rock) - set up to tackle smuggling networks in East Africa and funded by the European Union.