Ethiopian police arrest human trafficking ring linked to 3,000 victims and $20 million operation

Ethiopian police have arrested a "dangerous international human trafficker" and nine accomplices accused of smuggling over 3,000 individuals to Libya. Victims were held hostage, and some were subjected to torture, rape, or death. The network, under investigation since 2018, recruited young people from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia, promising migration to Europe via Libya. The ring operated five warehouses in Libya, where victims were held until their families paid ransoms. Those unable to pay faced severe abuse, including beatings, whippings, chaining, and burning. Police reported that over 100 people were killed and more than 50 women were raped. The investigation, supported by Project ROCK, an EU-funded Interpol initiative, interviewed over 100 victims and their families, revealing that the network moved approximately $20 million. The probe also identified over 70 major human traffickers both within Ethiopia and internationally.