Twenty-five Ethiopians arrested for entering Mozambique illegally

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Twenty-five Ethiopians arrested for entering Mozambique illegally

8:33 CAT | 12 Jan 2016

In file Club of Mozambique.

A total of 25 Ethiopians are currently being held in the cells of the provincial command of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula, having been arrested over the weekend for entering Mozambique illegally. The individuals were seized in a home in the Muatala neighbourhood of Nampula city.

According to Sérgio Mourinho, spokesman for the Provincial Command of the PRM, this is the first illegal entry case in Nampula in 2016. The Ethiopians entered the country across the Nampula-Cabo Delgado border, none of them carrying identification papers.

A Mozambican citizen by the name of J. Pedro, owner of the house where the individuals were found, has been charged with hosting illegal immigrants under the Criminal Code, Article 418. Pedro claimed that he was unaware of the Ethopian origin of his tenants, and that they came to his house with a taxi driver friend.

Pedro also said that he was in a field near his home when his friend came to ask for the keys, allegedly to talk with his friends. He was trying to find out how many tenants he had when he was surprised by the police.

Police spokesman Mourinho however said he had no doubt that the Ethiopians were in the house at Pedro’s invitation, and that he (Pedro) would be held responsible.

Article 418 of the Penal Code states that in Mozambique “those who receive, harbour, house or install an illegal immigrant, knowing him as such, shall be punishable by imprisonment of 2 to 8 years and a fine.”

In turn, the Law 6/2008 of 09 July on Trafficking in Human Beings, Article 14 – on leasing property for trafficking purposes – advises that “anyone who knowingly leases or subleases or allows the use of any home or business for the purpose of promoting trafficking in persons, shall be punishable with a penalty of eight to twelve years in prison”.

Source: A Verdade