31 Ethiopians detained in Tete for illegal immigration

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31 Ethiopians detained in Tete for illegal immigration

11:07 CAT | 06 Aug 2020

File photo: Lusa

Thirty-one Ethiopian citizens were arrested for illegal immigration in central Tete province on Sunday, an official source told Lusa today.

“They came from Malawi and were questioned during the early hours of Sunday. They did not use the crossing points, because they are closed,” Tete Migration Directorate spokesman Diamantino Jaime said.

In addition to the Ethiopians, two other individuals are being held (a Malawian and a Mozambican), on suspicion of having “facilitated the scheme”. Authorities says that the Malawian would have received US$3,000 for facilitating the entry of immigrants, and the Mozambican 40,000 meticais.

The Ethiopians were questioned at a checkpoint in the Moatize district and are expected to be repatriated. The border at Zobuè in Moatize district is often used by illegal immigrants trying to reach South Africa via Mozambique in search of better living conditions.

Last month, another group of 15 Ethiopians was arrested in the same province for illegal immigration.

Mozambique has 56 border crossing points, of which 24 were closed during the four months of the state of emergency.

In March, Mozambican police found 64 people who had perished in a container on a truck, also in Tete province. According to the authorities, the victims, illegal immigrants from various countries (including Ethiopia) who crossed the border from Malawi, died from asphyxiation.

Source: Lusa