The human trafficking network has been under investigation since 2018, police said in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, recruiting young people from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia who hoped to migrate to Europe through Libya. The ring operated five warehouses in Libya, holding victims hostage while forcing their families to pay huge ransoms. Some victims were burned with plastic water bottles, women were raped, and many died during the torture. "They engaged in illegally trafficking more than 3,000 people, killing over 100 people, and raping more than 50 women," the police statement read. The Ethiopian federal police, with support from Project ROCK, an EU-funded Interpol initiative, interviewed over 100 victims and their families during the investigation.

Source: Ethiopian News April 08, 2026 15:51 UTC