May 14, 2025
Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Tanzanian authorities are holding 30 Ethiopians found hiding on maize farms in the Kilimanjaro region, reportedly abandoned by transporters en route to South Africa.
Kilimanjaro regional immigration officer Augustino Malembo said the arrests followed a “Know Your Neighbour” campaign and the Ethiopians would be taken to court.
This incident follows a similar one in April 2023 in the Njombe region, where 63 Ethiopians were seized and about 40 others fled after their lorry, carrying about 100 who had entered via Kenya, stalled following an accident. Njombe Regional Immigration Officer Vincent Haule confirmed the arrest of the “exhausted” individuals from a farm hideout, adding, “We have arrested 63 and we are searching for 40 who are still on the run.”
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates up to 15,000 undocumented immigrants transit Tanzania annually towards Southern Africa, paying $3,000-$5,000 to trafficking syndicates.
A crackdown this year has netted 7,000 undocumented foreign nationals, and last August, 80 Ethiopians were intercepted near the Malawi border.
Source: The East African
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