Interpol hunting for collaborators involved in the trafficking of Eritreans

The Uganda police are working in partnership with the International Police (Interpol) to arrest the international and local collaborators involved in the illegal entry of Eritrean refugees into the country.

The Kiira Regional Police spokesperson James Mubi disclosed this following the ‘interception of 20 Eritrean illegal immigrants along the Nile Bridge on August 25th, 2023.’

Mubi highlighted the sophisticated nature of human trafficking operations which largely involves international collaborators.

The collaboration among illegal immigrant collaborators includes Eritreans residing in Kampala’s Kabalagala area.

These individuals offer to host the immigrants for unspecified durations and assist them in settling in the country.

Over time, they help the immigrants secure employment or start remedial work, often in restaurants owned by their fellow countrymen.

The group consisting of 12 men, two women, four girls, and two boys entered Uganda through the Busia border point along the Kenya-Uganda border.

They were intercepted along the Nile Bridge aboard a commuter taxi with license plate UGB 751V after a tip-off from URA enforcement teams.

Mubi explained that the syndicate leaders persuade their victims to pay undisclosed amounts, often ranging from US$ 300 and higher, to illegally depart from Eritrea via Kenya en route to Uganda in search of better opportunities.

The illegal immigrants are being housed at Speke Courts Hotel in Jinja city pending further investigations.