Stranded Ethiopians rescued from Middle East horror

From ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa

May 5, 2016

ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – THOUSANDS of Ethiopians stranded in the Middle East have been evacuated back home after their journey to Asia in search of greener pastures ended in horror.

These pay smugglers to transport them across the Red Sea but are handed over to multiple smugglers as soon as they arrive in Yemen, where they are tortured and held for ransom.

Those able to pay are freed while the unlucky ones are reportedly taken to a place called Jebel, where uncertainty shrouds their future.

Many Ethiopians are still trying to reach the Gulf countries via Yemen.

In the past month, a total of 1 220 stranded Ethiopian migrants have been evacuated back to their country from the war-torn Syria.

Human trafficking and smuggling are crimes committed worldwide.

In Ethiopia, a country of origin and transit for three major migration routes, IOM and other agencies have provided technical assistance to the government to improve the country’s laws to combat the crime.

Proclamation 909/2015 entered into force in August 2015.

The new legislation imposes harsh penalties on traffickers and smugglers and focuses on safeguarding the fundamental rights and dignity of migrants in the country and the region.

The Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat 2016 Report explains that the total estimated number of migrants who crossed the Gulf of Aden in March 2016 alone was 10 424 – 35 percent more than in February.

Of these, 83 percent were Ethiopians.