Ringleader of suspected human trafficking network arrested in Ethiopia

Yetbarek Dawit was arrested in Ethiopia for allegedly being at the center 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. He 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 the northern town of Shire, according to police.

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. The traffickers are alleged to have transported more than 3,000 mainly young people from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan to Libya using various routes. According to the police, Yetbarek is wanted internationally and uses a variety of aliases: "Adhanom" in Sudan, "Ahmed" in Djibouti and Somalia, "Munir" in Kenya, and "Kibrom" in Sweden and other European countries. The group is believed to have generated more than $19m (£14m) through these criminal activities, according to the police.

Following their arrest in Tigray, the 10 suspects were taken on Monday to the capital, Addis Ababa. They are yet to be charged in court.