Ethiopia: Police in Tigray Arrest Human Smugglers Attempting to Traffic 37 People

Mekelle — Police in the Southeast Tigray Zone have intercepted a human smuggling attempt and arrested suspects accused of trying to traffic 37 people, including 13 children, through 70 Enderta Woreda.

According to police, the arrests took place on 4 September at around 4:30 p.m., when the suspects attempted to move the group comprising youths, minors, and women out of Tigray with the intention of smuggling them to Saudi Arabia.

The suspects refused to stop at the Mlazat checkpoint and tried to flee. Security forces deployed in the area opened fire, hitting the vehicle's tire and forcing it to stop.

Southeast Tigray Zone Police Commander Abrha Woreda and 70 Enderta Woreda Police Commander Deputy Inspector Gebremariam Gebremeskel told local media that investigations are underway to bring those responsible to justice.

Mounting food insecurity and lack of jobs are driving many young people in war-torn Tigray to seek dangerous migration routes toward the Arabian Peninsula, often via Djibouti and the Gulf of Aden.

A report by Addis Standard last November revealed that the number of young people migrating illegally from the Tigray region is increasing at an alarming rate, primarily due to the scarcity of employment opportunities. Hayish Subagadis, Head of Tigray's Youth Affairs Bureau, estimates that at least 32,000 young people migrate illegally from Tigray to foreign countries annually.

In 2023 Haysh told Addis Standard that the irregular migration problem was worsening, with families receiving ransom demands and death notifications from smugglers in Yemen and other transit countries. While no precise figures exist, local administrators reported that more than 3,000 youths fled from a single district just between August and November 2023.

Irregular migrants from Tigray mainly use two routes to leave Ethiopia. The Northern Migration Route leads through Libya and across the Mediterranean to Europe. It carries severe risks, including attacks by criminal gangs, theft, and widespread sexual violence, particularly against women.

Migrants also face abuse by smugglers and traffickers, who subject them to extortion, forced labor, and sexual exploitation. The Sahara crossing is especially deadly. IOM reports at least 6,048 deaths or disappearances along the desert routes to Libya and Algeria since 2014.

The Eastern Migration Route runs through Djibouti, across the Gulf of Aden, and into Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is the second major path used by irregular migrants from Tigray. Despite increasing deaths and disappearances, IOM reports that migration along this route rose sharply in the first half of 2025.

Read the original article on Addis Standard.