Addis Abeba — The Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) says it has extradited an Ethiopian national accused of "operating a brutal transnational human trafficking" network from Malawi following a joint operation involving Interpol and the Malawi Police, marking the second such international extradition announced by the force in less than two weeks.
In a statement issued today, the EFP said the suspect, Adnew Bashaw Wudamo, was arrested in Malawi after years of joint investigations conducted with Interpol and Malawian authorities, before being handed over to Ethiopian authorities on 29 July to face prosecution.
International Relations According to the Federal Police, Adnew had been under investigation since 2022/23 for allegedly trafficking young Ethiopians from the Central Ethiopia Regional State, particularly from Hadiya and Kembata zones, to South Africa through an extensive smuggling network built on deception and coercion.
Discover morePeople & SocietyHistoryNewspapers Providing additional information, Jeylan Abdi, Head of Public Relations and Communication Affairs at the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission, told Addis Standard that the operation leading to the arrest of the suspected human trafficker involved not only Interpol and the Malawi Police, but also the Regional Operational Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU-Horn of Africa Initiative (ROCK). He said the operation was carried out through coordinated cooperation among the international law enforcement partners.
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Crime & Justice Police alleged that the suspect and his associates lured victims with false promises of employment and better living conditions in South Africa, charging each migrant between 600,000 and 800,000 birr, while collecting advance payments of at least 100,000 birr inside Ethiopia.
The EFP further accused the suspect of subjecting victims to severe abuse throughout the journey. According to police, migrants were first smuggled into Kenya through Moyale, where they were allegedly hidden in the Gambo forest under inhumane conditions, receiving only small portions of rice and bread once every 24 hours before being forced to continue the journey across desert terrain on foot and by motorcycle.
Human Rights & Liberties Police also alleged that after reaching Nairobi, victims were confined in overcrowded rooms where they were beaten, threatened, and tortured to extort additional payments from their families.
Discover morePublic SafetyLocal NewsCrime & JusticeMultilateral OrganizationsBiological SciencesAfricans & DiasporaMagazinesLegalGeographic ReferenceHuman Rights & Liberties According to the EFP, families unable to pay were allegedly subjected to extreme intimidation through violence inflicted on their relatives, including beatings and electric shocks, while accomplices in Ethiopia collected further payments exceeding 100,000 birr.
Addis Ababa travel guide The Federal Police further alleged that migrants were later transported in freight containers, trailers, and canvas-covered trucks from Nairobi toward Tanzania before being abandoned in forests. Many, police said, were arrested in transit countries for illegal entry, sentenced to prison terms of up to three years, and forced to pay as much as 170,000 birr before being deported to Ethiopia.
"The Ethiopian Federal Police, in cooperation with Interpol and the Malawi Police, arrested the suspect and brought him back to Ethiopia to stand trial," the statement said.
Geographic Reference The force added that it "will continue strengthening joint operations with international police institutions to bring individuals involved in similar crimes to justice," while urging the public to report suspected trafficking activities through the EFPApp, 991, and the SPS reporting platform.
Ethiopia remains one of the main countries of origin for migrants traveling along the Eastern Route to Yemen and the Gulf, as conflict, insecurity, limited access to protection, and worsening economic conditions continue to drive thousands to leave, according to a recent regional overview by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The agency warns that the route remains "one of the world's most active and dangerous mixed-movement corridors."
Law Enforcement According to the report, insecurity in Ethiopia's Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray regions, coupled with limited access to identity documentation and scarce economic opportunities, continues to fuel outward migration. It further highlights that trafficking networks operating along the Eritrea-Tigray-Addis Abeba-Afar-Djibouti corridor routinely subject migrants, particularly young adults, to extortion, exploitation, and other forms of abuse.
Today's extradition announcement comes less than two weeks after the Federal Police announced another international operation targeting alleged human traffickers. On 17 July, the EFP said it had extradited two Ethiopian nationals, Dawud Teferi Legesse and Desta Tegegne Abegaz, from the United Arab Emirates following a joint operation with Dubai Police under a bilateral extradition agreement.
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Biological Sciences In that case, police alleged the two suspects operated a trafficking network that sent 105 Ethiopians to Dubai, collected more than 188 million birr from victims, and subjected many of them to severe abuse before their arrest and extradition to Ethiopia on 18 July.
Similarly, on 21 July, the Ethiopian Federal Police announced that it had completed its investigation and referred to the Ministry of Justice the case against 17 suspected members of an alleged transnational human trafficking network. Police accused the suspects of trafficking more than 40,000 Ethiopians to Saudi Arabia through Djibouti and Yemen, collecting over Birr one billion from victims, and being linked to the deaths of more than 60 migrants along the route. AS
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include additional information from the Ethiopian Federal Police clarifying that the operation leading to the arrest of the suspect was carried out in cooperation with Interpol, the Malawi Police, and the Regional Operational Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU-Horn of Africa Initiative (ROCK).
